Reliving The Past
by Nitestalker
Summary: Sequal to Brainwashed. Hogan discovers his former CO, Big Bird, has been taken to Berlin. Before he can come up with a plan for freeing Big Bird, Hochstetter presents Klink with orders, transfering Hogan to Gestapo custody.
1. Business As Usual

AN: I make no ownership of Hogan's Heroes or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: Business As Usual

After his meeting with a member of the underground, code name Kewpie, Hogan took his time walking back to camp. During the meeting, Kewpie kept to the shadows, never reveling himself to Hogan. Something about Kewpie's voice sounded familiar, but Hogan was not able to put a face to it. One thing about Kewpie, which surprised Hogan, was how quickly he was willing to shoot him to keep his identity safe. If anyone knew how important it was to keep his identity a secret it was Hogan. If the Nazi's put together underground leader Papa Bear and senior prisoner of war Colonel Robert Hogan were the same person, he, as well as the rest of the underground would be in a heap of trouble.

Hogan paused at the bridge. He checked the area to make sure all was clear. He held his breath as he listened for any patrols wandering the area. Hogan's ears picked up some faint sounds. But not sounds he expected to hear. The faint sounds grew louder. No mistaking it, they were airplane engines. Not just any airplane; a B-17.

If there were anyone in the area, their eyes would be skyward. Hogan decided this would be the safest time to cross the bridge. As quickly and quietly as he could, he made his way across the bridge to the safety of some bushes. Curiosity got the better of him and he gazed toward the sky. To his surprise, there was only one plane!

Hogan couldn't figure why there was only one plane. A B-17 didn't go out alone, at least not without an escort. Hogan thought a moment of any reports from London about a bombing raid. For the safety of Hogan's men and the underground, London would inform him to make sure they were out of harms way.

Sounds of Anti-Aircraft guns unloading their fury upon the lone plane drowned the sound of the B-17's engines. Hogan could only watch helplessly as the plane was bombarded with hits.

A bright explosion caused Hogan to fall to the ground. He covered his head with his arms to protect it. With apprehension he forced himself to search the sky for survivors. One by one, he saw the white canopies of the parachutes open.

Hogan knew he had to reach the men before a patrol did. _Lord, it's me again. Need your help as usual._ As quickly has Hogan could manage with a still recovering leg and cane, he made his way through the woods to the area where the survivors would be. As he approached the area, he slowed his pace. He came to a complete stop when he heard voices.

"Come down now," Hogan heard a heavy German accented voice say.

He quietly made his way toward the voice. He found a German soldier pointing his weapon in a tree at one of the survivors. Hogan glanced around to see if he had any company; no one. Hogan positioned himself behind the soldier then whistled. When the soldier turned around, Hogan hit him as hard as he could with his cane, knocking the soldier unconscious.

"It's safe to come down now," Hogan whispered.

The survivor fell to the ground after undoing his harness. He jumped up quickly with a pistol pointed at Hogan.

"Put that way before someone, namely me, gets hurt." Hogan pushed the gun away with the tip of his cane.

"Afraid I can't do that. Who are you?" asked the survivor.

"If we keep standing around here, his buddies are going to capture both of us. Now lower your gun so we can find your friends." Hogan waited for the man to make the next move.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked Hogan.

Hogan pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache making an appearance. "If I wanted you captured, I would not have knocked him out." Hogan pointed to the unconscious soldier lying on the ground.

The two men ducked when they heard a twig snap. A dark figure approached. "Sarge! You around here?" A man asked in a whisper.

"Shut up, Griffin. Get down before you get yourself shot," Sarge ordered.

Hogan assumed 'Sarge' was in command of the group. "I saw five chutes. How many were on the plane?"

"Who's this?" asked Griffin.

"Call me a 'Knight in not so shining armor,'" Hogan said flatly. At this rate, they would be lucky if they made it halfway to camp without getting caught.

"That's all there was," Sarge answered.

"Lets see if we can find your buddies. I need the both of you to be quiet as the grave or that is where we are going end up. Understood?" Once they nodded understanding, Hogan motioned for them to move out.

Hogan heard the grunts of two men struggling. He motioned for the two men with him to stay as he checked it out.

Hogan came across two men fighting and a couple German soldiers watching them. Hogan eased back to his two companions. He motioned for each of them to take out a German and he would handle the two fighting.

They separated to carry out their mission. Hogan was impressed, watching the two men sneak silently toward their targets. In a swift, soundless movement, the two Germans dropped to the ground. It gave him hope they might actually make it out of there alive and not captured. Well, in Hogan's case re-captured.

Hogan made his way to the two fighting men. As Hogan drew back his cane to knock the German out, the Allied soldier knocked the German unconscious. The German fell backward, knocking Hogan to the ground. The man who was fighting thought Hogan was a German and was going to fight him next.

His two friends ran to him, stopping his attack. "He's on our side," Sarge whispered.

"Sarge? Is that you?" asked the man who was fighting.

"Who else. Samuels, help me get the old man up." Sarge and Samuels moved the German off of Hogan and helped him to his feet.

"Who are you calling old?" Hogan demanded, a little irritated. He knew the war had taken its toll on him. Every time he looked in the mirror, he swore he aged another year. With everything he had been though, who wouldn't feel and look maybe just a little older. Even still, he would not consider himself old by a long shot.

"No offence. I was just referring to the cane and…" Sarge trailed off.

Hogan growled under his breath as he looked at the cane. If it weren't for Wilson's threats, he wouldn't be using it. He motioned for them to move out and stay quiet. He couldn't decide if he liked this 'Sarge' or not. Right now, he was learning closer to not.

In the dim light, Hogan could make out a white parachute against the dark tree canopy. The man in its harness was unmoving. He motioned for one of the men to climb up the tree and get him down.

After a few minutes, Griffin lowered the man to the ground. Hogan checked his vitals shaking his head. "He didn't make it."

"We are not leaving him behind," Sarge demanded.

"Wouldn't think of it. Back at camp, we can burry him," Hogan said quietly.

"I'll carry him, Sarge." Samuels picked up his fallen friend, positioning him over his shoulder.

"Attention allied soldiers!" Came a German accented voice. "We have your leader. Surrender now and no harm will come to him or you."

"We got to save him," Sarge ordered.

Hogan stopped him with his cane. "You will not go after him now, Sergeant."

The men fall silent when they heard someone approach their position. Hogan grinned when he heard the distinctive sound of a Spring Peeper. Hogan hooted a couple of times in response.

"What is going on?" Sarge demanded.

Four figures dressed in black, joined the group. "I like for you to meet my men," Hogan whispered proudly.

"That makes eight of us. We stand a good chance now of saving our CO." Sarge started to get up but was stopped.

"I said not now. If we attempt a rescue now, it will only result in someone if not all of us getting killed or captured. I will not allow that to happen," Hogan ordered.

"Who put you in charge old man?" The anger Sarge was feeling was evident in his voice and about to get them all caught.

"You will not speak to the gov'nor that way," Newkirk defended.

"Quiet all of you!" Hogan yelled in a whisper. "Let's continue this conversation elsewhere."

"American, do you have any words for your men?" asked the German.

"I do. Weed. Nose dive. Splinter," the American said loud and sternly.

Hogan's mouth dropped open. "Big Bird is your CO?"

"You know him?" Samuels asked.

"We move out," Hogan ordered.

"Not until we get our CO back," Sarge said sternly.

"Are you going to disobey Big Birds orders?" Hogan asked.

"If Papa Bear says not now, he has a good reason," Carter said.

Without another word, Hogan motioned for everyone to move out. Reluctantly, Sarge and his men followed.

A gunshot caused everyone to dive to the ground. Sarge jumped up first and started running toward the gunshot. He had only taken a step when Kinch tripped him.

"Get off of me. I am not going to stay here, while they kill him." Sarge twisted his body trying to get free.

Hogan put his hand over Sarge's mouth. "They won't kill a general. He is too expensive a bargaining chip. You are doing exactly what they want you to do. Trust me. I know how these people think. They won't kill him." _I hope._

When Sarge relaxed, Hogan removed his hand. In a low threatening voice, Sarge growled, "If you are wrong and he dies, so do you."

"Lets get back to camp." Hogan could understand Sarge's remark. He would do anything to free his former CO, but getting killed or captured would not help free him. It hurt Hogan leaving him behind. It took all his strength to think with his head and not his emotions.

The rest of the trek to camp was in silence. As they came upon the tree stump, concealing the tunnel entrance, Hogan motioned for everyone to get down. To Hogan's surprise, there were no guards walking a post outside the wire. Hogan waited for the searchlights to pass. He motioned for the first group of two to climb down the entrance.

This process was repeated until everyone was in the tunnel safely. The three guests looked around in amazement. "Wow! This is sure some set up you have Papa Bear," Sarge remarked in awe.

"It's not much, but its home," LeBeau responded.

"Why did you go out there tonight?" asked Hogan.

"We heard the explosion. Figured we would try to get to the survivors before the Krauts did," answered Newkirk.

Kinch tapped his watch. "And you were late. By the way, how did the meeting with Kewpie go?"

Hogan was silent a moment. "Okay." The simple answer let the men know don't ask any more questions about the meeting. How could he tell them, Wright wasn't the only person the Krauts brainwashed? How could he tell them the Krauts tried to brainwash him as well. He would loose their respect, their trust, his command, but more importantly, he would loose their friendship.

The guests froze as Hogan removed his black shirt. They saw Hogan's back covered in scars. Some of which were not old. When Hogan put his uniform shirt on, the guests came to an immediate attention.

The sound caused Hogan to turn around. "Sir, we had no idea. Sorry for the comments, Sir," Sarge said.

"As you were." Hogan waved them off. "Nothing to apologize for. You had no way of knowing." While Hogan buttoned his shirt, he strolled up to Kinch. "Kinch, get in touch with the underground. Find out where they are taking General Lawrence. I want to know every move they make with him. Then get in touch with London. Let them know what happened. LeBeau, make our guests some food. Carter, handle sleeping arrangements. Newkirk, tell Christopher to get down here."

"Colonel, how do you know our CO?" Sarge asked in shock.

Hogan laughed. "Second Captain Hogan, at your service."

Carter paused. "Is that a new rank? I don't remember the rank. I never met a second captain before."

The guests laughed. Hogan shook his head. "No, Carter, it's not a new rank. General Lawrence is notorious for demoting people who give him a hard time. He made you earn your way back up. When you reached your original rank, he added a second to it."

"Gee, Colonel. I can't imagine you ever getting demoted. What did you do?" Carter asked innocently.

"Some other time," Hogan responded.

"So that is how you knew General Lawrence gave us the order to leave?" Sarge asked.

Hogan nodded.

"I didn't hear him give an order to leave," Carter stated, carrying an arm full of blankets.

"When he said 'Weed. Nose dive. Splinter.' Those are all objects you pull out," Hogan said, grinning.

Christopher came running down the tunnel. "Wanted to see me, Colonel?"

"Christopher, these men have one who didn't make it. I want you to handle the burial arrangements." Hogan looked at his watch. "Roll call is in three hours. We will take care of it after roll call."

"Yes, Sir," Christopher responded.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have some planning to do," Hogan said, heading upstairs.

HH HH HH

Hochstetter headed to the file room after he finished his reports. When he turned a corner, he ran into two guards and a prisoner. "Watch where you are going!"

"Jawohl, Herr Major," the guards escorting the prisoner said.

Hochstetter noticed a hint of recognition in the prisoner's eyes. He followed his gaze to the folder, which had Hogan's name on it. "General, you know this man?" Hochstetter held the folder for the General to get a better look.

"Lawrence, Richard A. General in the U S Army Air Corps."

Hochstetter growled. He was tired of hearing name, rank and serial number. "What harm can it be to admit you know him? He has been a prisoner of the Third Reich for some time. If you would prefer, General, I can invite him here to ask him myself?"

"Why does it matter if I know him or not?" Lawrence asked evenly.

"Exactly. It doesn't matter. So there is no reason for you to not answer my question." The grin on Hochstetter's face made him look like the devil himself.

"Herr Major, there is an Oberst Riemann from Gestapo headquarters in Berlin on the phone for you," stated the clerk nervously.

"I will take it in my office. Bring the General," Hochstetter ordered.

Hochstetter sat behind his desk as he picked up the phone. "Major Hochstetter here. Heil Hitler… Ja. The general is in my office now. He was just brought in, how do you know about him? …Right, it is your business to know everything…But, Sir…Jawohl Herr Oberst. I will have him ready to transport to Berlin." Hochstetter covered the mouthpiece of the phone as he talked to the guards. "Take him to a cell until his Berlin escort arrives." He uncovered the mouthpiece. "No, Sir. We were unable to catch anyone else. However, I believe he might have a connection to someone at the local Stalag…Colonel Robert Hogan…Jawohl. It will be my pleasure to escort Colonel Hogan to Berlin, but Sir, he is in Luftwaffe custody...Gut! I will be expecting his transfer papers. See you later today."

Hochstetter hung up the phone with a devilish grin. _As soon as I receive the transfer orders Hogan, you are mine._


	2. Transfer orders

Chapter 2: Transfer Orders

Hochstetter watched the truck leave with the American general in the back. He stared at the document in his hands. In his eyes, it shined as gold. At long last, his dream had come true. He held in his hand Hogan's transfer papers. He was no longer a Luftwaffe prisoner, but Gestapo's. He finally had Hogan within his grasp. Maybe now, he could finally get Hogan to confess.

Hochstetter shook his head. _No. Questioning Hogan had all been an act for the Nazis. I have been playing the role of a Nazi for so long, I believe the lies. London assigned me here to keep the Nazis from discovering Hogan's operation._

Hochstetter sighed looking at the transfer orders in his hand. What had he just done? He thought back to all the times he had questioned Hogan. Ha! Tortured Hogan was more like it, "trying" to get him to talk. He knew how to torture Hogan to make it appear a legitimate interrogation, but not far enough to get Hogan to talk. Somewhere along the way, he went from being appalled by torturing someone to finding immense joy in it. Over the years, he managed to brainwash himself into becoming a tyrant.

When London got conformation about Case Green, Hochstetter's parents were asked to leave Germany. Hochstetter saw this as his chance to help. He requested permission to stay in Germany so he could feed information back to London. Since the spies who gave them the information about Case Green had been captured, London was in desprite need of someone in Germany. London agreed. If he was to stay in a position of receiving information, he had to do whatever it took to maintain cover. This job he did a little too well. After the way he treated his prisoners, no one would ever suspect him of working for London. He had a hard time believing it himself.

When Hogan started his operation, Hochstetter was ordered to protect Hogan and the operation. He would be held accountable if the Nazis discovered Hogan's secret. So what did he do? He tortures the man he was assigned to protect. The last time he tortured Hogan, he didn't have to go as far as he did. But Hogan's mouth could drive a priest to murder. He no longer remembered the comment Hogan made. All he remembered was he was so angry with Hogan he had Hogan's shirt ripped off him and tied him over the back of a chair. He lashed him with a cat of nine tails, before he knew what had happened.

The blood curdling scream escaping from Hogan's lips when he lashed him, did something no other prisoners scream was capable of doing. It awoke the humanity he had buried deep within himself so he could do his job. Since its awakening, he didn't want to continue to act the same as he did. The line between keeping up appearances and who he really was blurred with each person he tortured. Each person made torturing the next easier. In the process, a monster replaced the real Wolfgang Armadas Hochstetter. The monster had been in control for so long, he couldn't remember who he really was. Would the monster surrender to humanity? He felt like Jekyll and Hyde. Two men were warring inside. The question is which would win?

HH HH HH

Klink sat at his desk puzzled. Hogan and his men went into the barracks quickly after morning roll call. He couldn't remember the last time there was a quick roll call. The men were in formation on time. No one said a word or try to mess Schultz's counting. _They must be up to some monkey business_.

_Of course they are! An airplane was shot down not to far from here_. _Hogan and his men took advantage of me pulling the outside guards to pick up the downed flyers._ Klink leaned back in his chair. _The prisoners will spend the rest of the day getting the downed flyers ready to somehow get them back to London. It will be a quiet day. _

Klink leaned forward. Who was he kidding? With Colonel Hogan around, it was never a quiet day. Any minute now, something was going to happen to turn his quiet camp upside down. Eyeing the decanter of schnapps on the table, he decided to prepare for the tornado about to strike.

HH HH HH

There was a knock at Hogan's door. "Come in."

LeBeau walked inside. "Sir, we are ready to start."

Because of the war, another person will not be going home. Another family who will not see their son again or hold him in their arms. This one seemed so young. He should have been worrying about how to keep his two girlfriends from meeting each other instead of dodging bullets in Nazi Germany.

Hogan stood. "Lets get this over with."

LeBeau and Hogan joined the others who were crowded in one of the tunnels. Hogan looked down the tunnel, remembering the other men burried down here. This war, like any other, had a high price. Hogan nodded to Christopher to start.

"We are gathered here to lay to rest our fellow brother in arms. Lord, open the gates and grant admittance to this one who risked his life to help others be free. Rest easy, sleep well my brother. Know the line has held, your job is done. Rest easy, sleep well. Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held. And peace, peace, and farwell.1 Would anyone like to say a few words?" Christopher motioned to the men who knew him best.

The men shook their heads. "You said it beautifully," Sarge said, trying not to weep. "We will miss you Johnson."

The men came to attention as Baker and Olsen filled in the grave.

"Present arms," ordered Sarge when the men were through filling the hole. Everyone in the tunnel saluted. After a moment, Sarge ordered, "Lower arms."

Christopher handed Hogan, Johnson's dog tags. Sarge came to attention before Hogan. "Sir, request permission for the honor of writing the letter to his folks and getting his dog tags home."

Hogan took a deep breath. "Are you sure this is something you want to handle?" Heven knew Hogan didn't enjoy writing the letters explaining why they will not get to hold their loved one again, but it wasn't a job to be taken lightly.

"From someone who hopes to make it to a Second Captain, I understand the responsibility," Sarge assured.

Hogan nodded, placing the dog tags in Sarge's hand. Sarge went to a corner where he could write the letter to Johnson's family. Kinch contacted the local underground to see if there was any word yet on Big Bird.

A short time later, Kinch laid the headphones down. "Colonel, underground reports General Lawrence is being transferred to Berlin."

"Great! That's just great!" Hogan paced, throwing his hands in the air. He kicked an empty supply crate, reliving some of the tension and guilt he felt for leaving Lawrence behind. Before, his rescue seemed difficult. Now it seemed impossible. "How on earth are we to get him out now? Am I to ask Klink for a weekend pass to Berlin so I can free an allied general who is a Gestapo prisoner?"

"Remember Colonel, 'with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible,'"2 said Christopher, with a smile.

"Incase anyone needs me, I will be in my room planning and praying for a miracle," Hogan said, stomping toward the ladder leading to the barracks.

HH HH HH

Klink sat at his desk staring at the reports he needed to do. Every time he turned around, there was another report to do. With the advance's the Allies were making, the POW camps were getting more and more crowded. Stalag 13 had reached capacity. Because the Oflag POW camps were full, officers were now sent to Stalags for permanent housing, which in turn caused more paperwork.

_What was it Hogan suggested I do? Oh yea! Address them to the attention of Johann Schmidt_. Klink was ready to send the person who had the misfortune of being Johann Schmidt, piles of work, when he heard a car come to a screeching halt in the compound.

Klink immediately went to the window to see whom the visitor was who saved him from the punishment of paperwork. His smile quickly turned upside down when he saw Major Hochstetter step out of the car with a grin on his face.

If Hochstetter was happy, it could only mean one thing; he wouldn't be. Klink put on his best happy face as he greeted Hochstetter marching through the door with another Gestapo officer. "What a pleasant surprise to see you Major. What can I do for you today?"

Hochstetter handed Klink the transfer papers. "You can start by bringing Hogan here."

Klink's jaw dropped. He never expected to see the orders transferring Hogan to Gestapo custody. _What have you done this time?_

"I am waiting Klink!" Hochstetter growled.

"Schultz!" Klink yelled.

"Ja, Herr Kommandant?" Schultz saluted.

"Bring Colonel Hogan here immediately," Klink ordered. "Major, I assure you. There must be some mistake. Whatever it is, Hogan could not have done it."

"Klink, whatever it is Hogan has either done or not done is no concern here," Hochstetter said smoothly. The glee in Hochstetter's voice caused Klink to sink in his chair.

HH HH HH

Hogan sat at his desk in deep thought. Berlin was too far away for an ordinary rescue attempt. This was going to be special. The light tapping on his door disrupted his thought.

"Come in," Hogan said, tiredly.

Schultz cautiously entered the room. "Herr Colonel…"

"What can I do for you, Schultz?" Hogan noticed how down hearted Schultz was. "Something a mater?"

Schultz nodded. "I do not know what it is, but Major Hochstetter is here. I think he is in a good mood."

"How can you tell?" asked Hogan.

"He is smiling. Kommandant Klink wants you in his office," Schultz said sadly.

"If Hochstetter is happy, it is time to worry," Hogan grabbed his jacket and hat, following Schultz out the door.

Hogan ran into Schultz's back when he stopped abruptly. "How did all of you get in here so fast? This room was empty a minute ago?"

"Are you sure Schultz? We have been here the entire time," Kinch answered.

"Oui. I think you need to get your eyes checked," LeBeau agreed while stirring a pot of soup.

"Schultz, with your poor eyesight, how did you ever make it in the army?" asked Carter.

Schultz shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with my eyes. You were not here when I came in. Now you are all here."

Hogan leaned close to Schultz's ear "Do you really want to know where they were?"

Schultz gaped at Hogan. "I want to know nothing. Nooothiiiing!"

HH HH HH

Klink sat nervously, staring at the transfer orders. He prayed this was a bad dream. He willed himself to wake up from this nightmare to no avail. Klink almost fell out of the chair when Hogan opened the door.

"Wanted to see me, Sir." Hogan tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"I…I…I…" Klink couldn't get the words out.

Klink watched in dismay as the guard with Hochstetter slammed Hogan across his desk, roughly cuffing his hands behind his back.

"Hey! What's going on here? Kommandant?" Hogan pleaded for answers.

"I'm sorry, Colonel. Major Hochstetter has transfer orders. I have no choice but release you to him." Klink thought for sure he was about to cry. He could no longer look into Hogan's pleading eyes.

"Transfer! Where am I being transferred to?" implored Hogan.

Klink felt he had let Hogan down some how. Vow to help Papa Bear aside; he was Hogan's protector. Klink tried blocking out Hogan's questions. There was nothing he could do. The orders tied his hands.

"He can't help you, Hogan. I have you where I always wanted you. You and me are going on a long trip to Berlin. Take him to the car," Hochstetter ordered.

"Can't I say good by to my men? Can't I at least pack my things?" asked Hogan trying to stall.

"No. There is nothing here you need to take with you." Hochstetter stormed out.

"Kommandant, tell my men to take care and do as they are told." Hogan was pushed out the door before he could say more.

Klink sat silently at his desk. _What just happened?_ Klink new what had happened. Hogan's luck finally ran out. Klink jumped straight out of his chair. Hogan didn't want him to relay the message to his men. He told his men himself. Klink looked around. "I wish there was some way to help Hogan out of this."

He didn't know if the men were still listening, but if they were, he wanted them to know he would help in any way he could.

HH HH HH

Kinch unplugged the coffee pot in Hogan's office, not hearing Klink's comment.

"What do we do now?" asked Carter.

"We go after the gov'nor is what," Newkirk answered.

Kinch raised his hands to calm the men. "You heard the Colonel's orders. We do as we are told."

"Then tell us to go after le Colonel," LeBeau pleaded.

Kinch shook his head. "I will inform London what has happened. Right now we don't know why they took Colonel Hogan. Someone might have sold us out. If that's the case, I want us ready to leave."

"You can't suggest we abandon him? He would never abandon us," said Newkirk.

"General Lawrence gave his men the order to leave and expected them to follow it. Colonel Hogan gives us orders and expects us to follow them. We will do what London tells us to do." Kinch headed to the tunnel. The sooner they got a response from London, the sooner they could act.

HH HH HH

"Major, you mind telling me what is going on?" Hogan asked trying to get comfortable. He couldn't rest his still sore shoulder, from where he was shot a couple of weeks ago, because his hands were cuffed to the bar on the back of the front seat.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise. Just sit back and watch the pretty scenery," Hochstetter said sweetly.

Hochstetter's tone told Hogan it was time to be afraid, to be very afraid. "Can't you give me a hint? I promise it won't spoil the surprise."

An evil laugh filled the car. "I guess I can give you a hint. I am reuniting you with a friend of yours."

"Who?" Hogan didn't know if Hochstetter was speaking literally or figuratively when he said 'friend'.

Hochstetter waived his finger at Hogan. "Now that is the surprise."

What was it with people playing games with him? First, Kewpie didn't give him any straight answers and now Hochstetter. "There must be a reason for you to take time out of your busy day to reunite me with a friend. Is it because you are not getting enough attention from your girlfriend and have nothing else better to do?"

Hogan instantly regretted the comment as his head slammed against the window. He could feel blood trickling down his chin from the punch Hochstetter just delivered. _Must have hit a nerve. Note to self, no more comments about Hochstetter's love life._

HH HH HH

Kinch threw the headphones on the table, not believing what he just heard. Sarge stood behind Kinch. "Something a matter?"

He couldn't tell him everything yet. "You and your men will be on your way to London tonight."

Sarge crossed his arms. "There is more to it than that. We are not leaving here without Big Bird."

"We will get Big Bird out. We need you out of here incase something goes wrong," Kinch said.

"I know you have some set up here, but what makes you think you can get him out?" Sarge asked. "He is in Berlin, surrounded by a bunch of armed Krauts.

"Because it is what we do." Kinch powered down the radio. "I will have Hopper and Elliott escort you to rendezvous with the underground. They will get you to the sub."

Kinch motioned for the team to join him in Hogan's room when he got upstairs. Once inside, Kinch shut the door. "I have some good news and bad news."

Newkirk rolled his eyes. "Com'on mate. Spit it out."

"London is aware Colonel Hogan has been taken to Berlin along with General Lawrence. London asked us to find a way to get to Berlin." Kinch let the men voice their comments.

"Yea! We can get the gov'nor and Big Bird out," Newkirk commented with a big smile.

Kinch raised his hand for silence. "There's more. Our primary reason for going to Berlin is to rescue General Lawrence."

"What!" All exclaimed.

"You can't be serious. How do they expect us to get General Lawrence out and leave the colonel?" asked Carter.

"They said if we can't get the colonel out without jeopardizing General Lawrence's safety, we leave him. Then all of us make our way to London," Kinch finished.

"Like bloody hell we leave him. Who do they think they are? Who is this General Lawrence anyhow? Besides the stars, what makes him so special?" yelled Newkirk.

"I think we need to have a little talk with Sarge to find out why London is more concerned with the Nazis finding out what he knows compared to all the secrets of the great Papa Bear.

1 This prayer is found on the Arlington Cemetery website.

2 Matthew 19:26


	3. All In One Spot

A/N: Thanks to GSJessica for betta reading and to all others who have read and responded.

Chapter 3: All In One Spot

As the car drove down the streets of Berlin, Hogan's mind drifted back to when he worked his first assignment with Lawrence in Berlin as a spy. In 1937, Lawrence begged Hogan to join him in the intelligence business. Hogan tried to convince Lawrence he was only interested in flying planes. Being a spy didn't interest him. After some coercion, Hogan agreed. They were immersed in everything German for about six months. When he landed in Berlin in 1938, he could speak German like a native, accent and all. He knew more about the country than most people who lived there.

Since, for the most part, drunken people talk too much, Lawrence and Hogan acquired jobs working at the local Biergarten. They figured this was the best place to uncover the truths behind the rumors of Case Green. Hitler viewed the Treaty of Versailles as unfair. He intended to make every country involved pay. At the time, there were only rumors of Hitler starting a war in Europe. The US was curious if his vendetta included them as well. Most thought it was just the ravings of a mad man.

Hogan looked out the window at the armed guards walking around. _Never underestimate a mad man. _As they passed the Biergarten where Hogan had worked, a smile appeared on his face. He had a lot of good times there. Faces of the many young, pretty frauleins he had met came to his mind. _All work and no play __make__s Rob a dull boy._

The smile disappeared when the car stopped in front of Gestapo headquarters. This wasn't Hogan's first trip to Gestapo headquarters in Berlin. He and Lawrence had the misfortune to be guests there. To this day, Hogan had no idea how the Gestapo discovered they were gathering information about Case Green and passing it London. He figured someone along the way leaked the information back to Berlin.

Hogan felt his heart race. His breathing became shallow. He forced memories of the torment he had suffered out of his mind.

The driver opened Hochstetter's door first. Both walked around the car, opening the door for Hogan. Hochstetter removed his gun from its holster. He kept it trained on Hogan while the guard unlocked Hogan's handcuffs.

The guard yanked Hogan out of the car, throwing him on the ground. He pressed his knee on Hogan's spine, preventing any movement while he re-handcuffed his hands behind his back.

"Ease up. I'm not resisting," Hogan complained.

"I have waited too long for this. I am not taking any chances," Hochstetter said, motioning for the guard to stand Hogan up.

"What chances? I am surrounded by Gestapo, SS, Abwehr and countless other armed Nazis," Hogan stated, looking around.

"Have you been here before, Hogan?" Hochstetter almost purred.

"No, why?" Hogan realized Hochstetter picked up on his knowledge of the different offices in the city.

"You seem to know where everything is around here," Hochstetter said, standing in front of Hogan. "Why is that? Is it something they taught you in spy school?"

_You will never find out the truth, no matter what you do to me. But yes, they did. _"Look around, Major. You said you were taking me to Berlin. I am assuming it would be to Gestapo headquarters. When we pulled up, I saw a bunch of men dressed as SS go in and out of the building over there. Besides, I had to memorize the location of important buildings for bombing raids," Hogan said with a smile.

"You think you are so smart? We will get the truth out of you. Bring him!" Hochstetter stormed inside, stopping for only a moment to speak with the clerk at the front desk.

The guard pushed Hogan down the hall leading to the holding cells. Hochstetter opened a cell door. Just before Hogan was pushed into the cell, Hochstetter held out his hand to stop him. "My mistake, this one is taken."

Before Hochstetter shut the door, Hogan got a glimpse of the poor soul who inhabited the cell. General Richard Lawrence. Hogan glared at Hochstetter. It wasn't a mistake. He opened the door on purpose. He wanted Hogan to know why he was brought here.

Hochstetter stopped at the next cell door and opened it. "This one is vacant."

_No! Not this one. Out of all the cells here, why does it have to be this one?_ Flashes of the nightmares Hogan had endured flooded his mind. He had to remind himself the pain his body felt was not real, but memories. This was the same cell he had been held and tortured in. The last time he was in the cell, he didn't think he would leave here alive. Part of him had even prayed for death.

"Problem Hogan? You look like you have seen a ghost." Hochstetter motioned for the guard to help Hogan into his new home.

The blood had drained from his face. It took all of Hogan's self control to not show his fear. Hogan closed his eyes, trying to regain control. He had been concentrating on his fears so hard; he didn't notice the handcuffs had been removed.

When Hogan regained control of his emotions, he walked to the far wall where he had been chained and flogged. There were some bloodstains on the floor and wall. He wondered if some of the blood had belonged to him. He slumped to the floor when he reached the other side of the room. _Lord, I don't want to go __through__ this again. Please let it be over with soon, one way or the other._

HH HH HH

"Sarge, we need to talk," Kinch said walking up to him. "What does General Lawrence know? London gave the order to get him out at all cost and leave the person who knows the entire workings of the underground?"

"London said that?" asked Griffin, with a raised eyebrow.

"To be honest with you, I don't know. Our true mission was to pick up a defector in Berlin. Big Bird is the only one who knew his identity," Sarge stated. "Are you trying to say London has ordered you to rescue Big Bird, but leave Papa Bear?"

Kinch nodded his head. "Fortunately for us, as of right now, we don't think the Gestapo knows, nor has any proof, Colonel Hogan is Papa Bear. Heck, we have no idea why they took him. I doubt they were able to make a connection between Colonel Hogan and General Lawrence this fast; at least not without help."

Samuels stood toe to toe with Kinch. "You aren't suggesting Big Bird said something, are ya?"

Kinch was taken back by Samuels's actions, but understood. He would have words with anyone who suggested the same of Colonel Hogan. Kinch shook his head. "No, Samuels, I wasn't referring to him. I was referring to someone either at London HQ, or in Germany, who put things together."

"We want to help. It's the least we can do," Sarge offered. The others nodded in agreement.

"No. We have to get you out while we can. If something goes wrong, we are evacuating camp. If stuff hits the ceiling, the Nazis might make trying to leave Germany more difficult than it already is. We have had many years practice at blending in as native Germans. What's so funny?" Kinch asked, a little irritated at the snickering.

"Sorry, but I can't imagine you being mistaken for a native German.", Sarge laughed.

"Not in person, but on the phone, yes," Kinch answered. "I am in charge of setting stuff up over the phone or radio." Kinch glanced at his watch. "Roll call will be in thirty minutes. As soon as it is over, you leave."

Kinch thought as he went upstairs. His skin color would prevent him from going on any rescue attempts. He would plan as much as he could from here, leaving the rest up to Newkirk.

The thought of Newkirk making decisions with his hot temper caused Kinch to shudder. But what choice did he have? Kinch motioned for everyone to gather around. "Sarge hasn't a clue. We need to get to Berlin to get _them_ out. Due to obvious reasons, I will have to stay here. Any suggestions on a legitimate reason to get you to Berlin?"

"How about Major Teppel. He used us once before. Why not use him this time?" suggested LeBeau.

"Okay. I will call him to set up things. Because of the nature of this mission, volunteers…" Before Kinch could finish his speech, all hands went up.

"With prisoners this important, a plethora of men will be needed to escort them to the safe house and away from the arms of the underground," Christopher said, in his best German.

The men laughed. Kinch said, "I will not send more than six. LeBeau, Newkirk, Carter, Christopher, Foster and Olson will go. Once you get there, Newkirk will be in charge. If I don't hear from you in forty-eight hours, I am closing up shop. Get in touch with Max at the Gugelhof. He is part of the underground. Ask him to tell you his favorite story. If he tells you about the three bears, he will give you further instructions, if not; it isn't safe for him at the moment."

"Sounds like a plan mates. Now all we have to do is make final arrangements to get up there," Newkirk stated, rubbing his hands together.

"I'll make the call now." Kinch headed for the radio. _Lord, it is in your hands. Let your will be done._

HH HH HH

Klink poured the last of the schnapps into his glass. Since Hochstetter left with Hogan, Klink had done his best to make the problems go away by drowning them in schnapps. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked. He was more depressed now than earlier. He noticed it was almost time for evening roll call. "Schultz!"

Schultz lumbered into the office. "You wanted me, Herr Kommandant?"

"Ja. Just count the prisoners inside before lights out. I don't feel like having a formal roll call tonight," Klink said, staring at his last glass of schnapps.

"Jawohl," Schultz answered and headed for the door.

"Oh, Schultz, if not everyone is here, tell me all present anyway." Klink downed the glass in one gulp. "If you need me, I will be passed out in my quarters." Klink swayed when he stood up. He used the walls and furniture to make it to his quarters without falling.

_Why are these problems always happening to me? I try to be a good kommandant. I treat the prisoners fairly. What do I get for all my efforts? Trouble. _

Klink didn't make it to his bedroom before he passed out. Later Schultz found Klink snoring on the living room floor. This was not a good day or night.

"Herr Kommandant," Schultz said, shaking Klink. "Wake up. Major Teppel with the Abwehr is here. He is demanding to take six prisoners to Berlin for questioning."

"Hmmmm." Klink raised his head. "Was ist es, Liebchen?"

Schultz rolled his eyes, helping Klink to a standing position. "Major Teppel is here to take six prisoners to Berlin for questioning."

"Berlin! Questioning!" It was amazing how some words have a sobering effect on people. "Where is he? Who does he want to take? Lord, why me?"

"He is in your office. LeBeau, Carter, Newkirk, Foster, Christopher and Olsen. And I don't know." Schultz ticked the answers off on his fingers.

Klink ran to the mirror, straightening his uniform. "Schultz, bring the men he requested to my office immediately."

"His men are already getting them," answered Shultz sheepishly.

Klink ran to his office as fast as he could. "Ah, Major Teppel. How good to see you. What brings you by my camp at…" Klink squinted his eyes to read the clock. "At three in the morning!"

Teppel handed Klink his orders. "I am here to take these six men to Berlin for questioning."

"May I inquire as to the reason you are taking them to Berlin?" asked Klink.

"No, you may not. Abwehr does not answer to Luftwaffe," informed Teppel.

"I will send for them." Klink rushed to the window to yell for a guard to bring the men to his office. He forgot he had already asked Shultz to bring the prisoners to his office. It was apparent by his actions; he never heard Schultz's response.

"No need. My men are dragging them out of bed as we speak." Teppel headed for the door. "I will return them to you when we are finished with them. Heil Hitler."

Klink stared in shock as the six men were pushed out of Barracks 2. First Hogan was taken to Berlin, now his men. Something was going on here. But what if there was no connection. It could be bad timing. Hogan's men would be questioned without the aid of someone to make sure the Geneva Convention was adhered to. No one would be there, reminding them of their rights.

Sadness overcame Klink as he thought about Hogan. sitting in a Gestapo jail with no one to intervene on his behalf to make sure the Gestapo obeyed the Geneva Convention. Even if there were someone, it wouldn't do any good. He owed Hogan. The least he could do was be there for Hogan's men since he couldn't do anything for Hogan.

"One moment, Major. I am going with you," Klink said, as he put his coat on. As an after thought, he grabbed his pistol. "Can never be too careful."

"There is no need, Colonel. My men are more than able to take care of these prisoners," Teppel said.

"These men just watched their CO be arrested and taken to Berlin. They need to have someone with them to make sure the Geneva Convention is followed," Klink said, as he stood in front of Teppel.

"_We_ are not the Gestapo. We have no need to resort to barbaric tactics to gain answers. I give you my word they will not be physically harmed," Teppel defended.

"Major, I insist. I am their protector as well as jailor. I am going." Klink shook inside. Even though Teppel was technically his subordinate, he was still Abwehr. If Teppel wanted, he could make Klink's life more miserable then it already was.

"If you insist, Colonel." Teppel opened the door then stepped to the side.

Klink walked outside just as the men were cuffed to the benches in the back of the truck. "I will ride in the back with them."

"As you wish." Teppel gestured to the back of the truck.

With a little help, Klink made it in the back. He observed the strange looks on the men's faces. None of them expected Klink to go with them. By going, did he just somehow mess up their plan to rescue Hogan? _Impossible, how would they get away from the Abwehr? Unless…Major Teppel is in on it. Impossible. Does Papa Bear's arms reach all the way to Berlin, into the Abwehr?_

Klink regained his composure from the shock of his new discovery. "Colonel Hogan wanted me to relay a message to you. He said to 'take care and do as you are told.' I am going along to make sure the rules of the Geneva Convention are followed at all times. I am here to help you in any way I can."

Klink hoped they understood his cryptic message. With the Abwehr guards in the back, he couldn't come out and say, 'I want to help you rescue Colonel Hogan.'

HH HH HH

To Hogan's relief, after he was put into his cell, he wasn't bothered. He finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep. Memories of the time he had spent in the cell, floated in. Hot. It was so hot. His cell felt more like an oven.

Hogan's eyes fluttered opened. He tilted his head back. It was dark. Apparently while he was sleeping, they must have turned off the light. He was so hot. Hogan took his hat and jacket off. His uniform shirt was soaked with sweat. He felt the walls and floor. They were hotter than a cell should be. The Gestapo was trying to wear him down, but for what?

Hogan shook his head. It didn't work last time and it wouldn't work this time. Hogan walked around his cell. _Think Rob. General Lawrence is next door. How do you get him out? I wonder if the Gestapo officer who helped us escape last time still works here? No, bad idea. We were different people back then. If he remembers us, he might blow the whistle._

Hogan ran his hands through his hair as he paced. There was no one he could turn to for help. The only person in Berlin who could help was Major Teppel in the Abwehr not far away. It would be hazardous to their health to contact him.

Hogan sat back down. The situation seemed hopeless. All he could do now was wait. He didn't have to wait long before his cell door opened. Hogan squinted at the light flooding his cell.

Hochstetter stepped in. "Sleep well, Hogan? I hope so. It will be the last rest you will get for some time. On your feet."

At this point, it was no use wasting his energy resisting simple, insignificant things. He had to be in the best shape he could be in, so he could last as long as he could. He only prayed his men were on their way to London. He didn't know what was in store for him or what they would ask.

Hogan stood, with his hands behind his back. He knew the routine. They never moved prisoners without first cuffing their hands behind their back. A guard pinned Hogan against the wall as he closed the cuffs tightly around his wrists.

The guard turned Hogan to face Hochstetter. The grin on Hochstetter's face sent shivers through Hogan. "I see you are learning. Will you be this cooperative later?"

Hogan was led to another room. When the door opened, he saw General Lawrence tied to a chair.

"Uncuff Colonel Hogan," came a pleasant German voice from the far side of the room.

Hogan's senses were on edge. When the cuffs were removed, Hogan rubbed his wrists as he glanced around.

"Colonel Hogan, remove your shirt please." The smoothness of the German's voice scared Hogan more than anything.

"I'd rather leave it on if it is all the same to you," Hogan said, folding his arms.

The German grinned. "You have no choice I am afraid." He nodded to a guard to remove Hogan's shirt. One of the biggest German guards he had ever seen stood in front of him.

Hogan swallowed. "Since you put it that way." Hogan removed his shirt.

"Very good, Colonel. I guess your Kommandant has done a good job at training his _dogs_," sneered the German.

Hogan bit his tongue to keep from saying what he really wanted to. He just smiled. "You'll have to ask him."

"How rude of me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Major Weissmuller. Colonel Riemann has asked me to conduct the interrogation. He has other matters to attend to. Have a seat Colonel. I assume you know General Lawrence?"

Hogan sat in the chair across from Lawrence. He felt ashamed, playing the cowed prisoner in front of his CO, but he had no choice "No. We haven't met." Hogan noticed the shocked look on Lawrence's face. Was it from denying him or was it because he obeyed the Nazis without much resistance.

As soon as Hogan was seated, his legs and arms were strapped to the chair. Weissmuller twirled a nail between his fingers as he walked around the room. "The Führer wants to know why a US General was flying over Germany, and what secrets he might possess. He does not want the General harmed in case we decide to use him in an exchange. Your name was mentioned to me in connection to the general. I decided to pull your file. It provided for some interesting reading. I learned, on two separate occasions, you witnessed your men's interrogation and executions. Is this correct?"

Hogan glared at Weissmuller. He despised Weissmuller for bringing up a painful part of his past. "If you read it in my file, it must be true."

Weissmuller chuckled. "This time it is going to be slightly different. This time, you will be tortured in front of General Lawrence. We will stop only when he answers our questions." Weissmuller held up his hand, signaling he didn't want any protests. "We have already confirmed through our contact in London, General Lawrence was your CO. There is no reason to keep up the charade, Colonel. It would be to your advantage to persuade him to answer our questions."

It was Hogan's turn to laugh. "Did your contact also tell you we were not exactly the closest of friends? I hate his guts. From the way he treated me, I am sure the feeling was mutual. Fine, we know each other. Let me enlighten you on something. We are no more friends than Hochstetter and I are."

"Then you should have no problem talking him into answering our questions," Weissmuller suggested.

"Why should he listen to me? I stand a better chance talking Hitler into surrendering to me." Hogan's head snapped back as Weissmuller delivered a punch to Hogan's jaw.

"Such comments are unwise." Weissmuller held the nail in front of Lawrence. "General, do you know what this is?"

"A nail," he said flatly.

Weissmuller nodded. "And what does a nail do?"

"Holds things together," answered Lawrence.

"In this case, it will be used to put holes into something." Weissmuller sauntered over to Hogan. He ran the tip of the nail down Hogan's chest, along the top of his leg, then up, along the inside of his leg. Weissmuller stopped at a very delicate place.

Hogan's muscles tightened. It took all of his self-control to keep himself from hyperventilating. He never looked at Weissmuller or where the nail was. He focused on the wall behind Lawrence. He mentally prepared himself for the pain he knew would come at any moment.

Lawrence stared in shock. "You are insane."

"If you don't wish to see Colonel Hogan in pain, answer our questions," said Weissmuller smoothly.


	4. Enemies Or Allies

Chapter 4: Enemies or Allies

The truck stopped in front of Abwehr headquarters in Berlin. Klink exited the truck first. He stared down the street toward Gestapo headquarters. He wondered what they were doing to Hogan. What kind of unspeakable pain was he feeling?

As the men exited the truck, each glanced in the same direction as Klink, and then bowed their head. No one wanted to think about what was happening to Hogan. They followed the guards inside, where they were put into different cells.

Klink tapped Teppel on the shoulder. "Ja, Herr Oberst?"

"When will you start your questioning?" Klink asked.

Teppel glanced at his watch. "In about an hour. I have some work I must attend to first."

Klink nodded. "I shall return. Do not start interrogating them until I return."

"Colonel, we are at Abwehr now. We have many things to do. Here, we do as I wish. We will start interrogating them in one hour with or without you," said Teppel, firmly.

"Right. See you in an hour." Klink walked toward Gestapo headquarters. He didn't want to go in there. He knew, though, if he was to help Hogan, he needed to know what was happening in there. Would it seem out of place for him to check on his former senior prisoner of war? He took a deep breath, looked both ways, and crossed the street.

HH HH HH

"There is nothing to tell. I already told you, I have no big secret. I was tired of flying a desk and wanted to get back into the action. Torturing Hogan isn't going to give answers which don't exist," said Lawrence.

"If that were true, you would have been part of a squadron or something, not by yourself. Give me the answers I want or watch Colonel Hogan suffer," informed Weissmuller.

Lawrence started to give his cover story. "I lied to the men. I said we had clearance to take the plane. My request to fly again was turned down by my superiors. They said I was too old. I figured if the bombing mission were successful, it would show them I wasn't too old. That is why we weren't with a squadron."

"I see. I believe you Americans call it 'being a Lone Ranger'?" Weissmuller asked.

"You could say that. Imagine how you would feel being told the only thing you could do was paperwork. No more interrogating prisoners or doing anything else active in the war effort?" Lawrence said, grasping at straws.

Weissmuller faced Hogan. "Colonel, has this man ever lied to you?"

Hogan tried to keep his voice calm. "No, he hasn't"

"Would you lie to me, Colonel?" asked Weissmuller

Hogan remained silent. Weissmuller pressed a little harder with the nail, prodding an answer from Hogan. Hogan squeezed his eyes closed. Sweat poured from his forehead. Hogan stared Weissmuller in the eye. "Do you think I would lie to you, knowing what you could do to me if I did?"

Hogan bit his lip to keep from screaming. He shut his eyes as he bent forward, trying to catch his breath. The pain, however, came from a place he wasn't expecting; the top of his left leg.

When Hogan was eight years old, he was playing in a barn with his brother and sister. He fell on a board with a nail sticking up. The nail went deep into his leg. He remembered sitting on the ground crying as Tom wrapped his handkerchief around the wound. The pain then didn't hold a candle to the pain this nail caused.

"You son of a diseased dog! You don't have to do this. I already told you everything," pleaded Lawrence.

Weissmuller stepped aside so Lawrence could see where exactly he placed the nail. Hogan grunted when Weissmuller pulled the nail out of his leg. "I'm not that cruel. Unless I am forced to be. It is okay to scream, Colonel. No one will think any less of you." Weissmuller glanced at Lawrence. "Since Colonel Hogan knows what we are capable of, I believe him. You however, I do not. Now you can see I have no reservations about causing Colonel Hogan pain."

Hogan squeezed his eyes shut as Weissmuller jammed the nail into another part of his body. Hogan realized Weissmuller was not choosing places at random. He was inserting the nail in places where it would cause the greatest amount of pain with the least amount of damage. By doing this, it allowed him to last much longer. Would Lawrence hold out as well?

Hogan looked upward. _Lord, please spare me this pain. I know I cannot get out this myself. Please, somehow get us out of here._

HH HH HH

Klink stopped at the front desk to inquire which cell Hogan was being held in.

"I am sorry, Herr Oberst. Oberst Hogan is being interrogated at the moment. No one is allowed to see him," the clerk answered.

Klink set his jaw, if it worked for them, why not him? "I want to see what kind of progress they are making. I have known Hogan for a long time. I might have some ideas to make the Gestapo's job easier."

"I… I can't…." the clerk stammered.

Klink leaned over the desk. "Corporal, I demand to see Colonel Hogan now! Where is he located?"

The clerk shrank back. "Sublevel two. Interrogation room at the end of the hall."

"Danke." Klink's heart pounded. It felt strange, yet good, to be assertive. He found the stairs leading to the sublevels.

HH HH HH

Hogan's head fell forward from exhaustion. He tried to force his mind elsewhere. He thought about the summers he worked at the airfield on Sopwith Camels and other planes. He concentrated on the first time he went up in a plane. The feeling of freedom he had was so peaceful; he didn't want to land.

The plane changed around him. It was spinning out of control toward the ground. Hogan jerked his head back. When he opened his eyes, he saw Weissmuller staring at the blood-covered nail in his hand.

"I am afraid I have run out of places to insert the nail, Colonel. This means I will have to try something else." Weissmuller nodded to a guard. The guard left the room and returned a short time later with a cart. The cart contained a tub of hot coals with a poker sticking out of them.

The muscles in Hogan's body shook with fear and anticipation. When he was captured on his first spy mission to Berlin, and the mild interrogation did not produce anything except that they were innocent German civilians, the Gestapo upped the stakes. The hot poker was one of the techniques they used to threaten him. He hoped it was to scare him again, and not to be used.

"Is there anything you wish to say to General Lawrence before we start phase two?" Weissmuller asked, extracting the poker. He stared madly at the glowing tip.

Hogan noticed the look of pleasure on Weissmuller's face. The look confirmed Hogan's fear. Weissmuller was planning to use it on him.

"What information are you hoping to gain from this? I told you the truth. I used to be a good storyteller. If it's a story you want, I am sure I can make one up for you. I know, how about I am on a secret mission to Germany to deliver toys to all the good girls and boys. Or how about I am here to air mail a package to London." Lawrence said, using the coded message they had come up with on their first mission together.

Hogan picked up on the message. Lawrence was there to pick something up and take it to London. Hogan looked at the straps securing his hands to the chair. He pulled on them, testing their strength. He had to get out of this situation soon. Whatever it was Lawrence was to get to London, it must be very important for him to come here.

There was a pause. Hogan looked at Lawrence with pain and sadness. "I know why General Lawrence is here."

Hogan saw Lawrence's eyes go wide with disbelief. It was the reaction he had hoped for. He wanted Lawrence to believe he was going to betray him. His reaction would help give credibility to the story he was about to tell.

With a confused look, Weissmuller asked, "You have not been alone with him. How could he have told you with out us knowing?"

"Did he tell you he was coming through a radio communication with Stalag 13?" asked Hochstetter. Everyone stared at Hochstetter in silence. Hochstetter shrugged. "I figured since we were questioning Hogan, I would see if I could get him to confess to being a member of the underground. At least, tell about the secret radio he has hidden."

"Major, I think you have been working too hard. Why don't you take a nice long vacation," suggested Weissmuller. Turning back to Hogan, "When did he tell you the nature of his mission?"

Hogan looked away from Lawrence with shame. "Sorry, General. I have to tell them. I… I can't take it any more." Hogan took a deep breath. "He came here to take someone to London."

"Traitor!" yelled Lawrence, pulling on his restraints. "When we get out of this, I am going to see you are punished to the full extent!"

"Did he tell you who?" inquired Weissmuller.

Hogan nodded without looking at anyone. "Major Hochstetter."

"What!" exclaimed everyone.

"Why would he want to take me to London?" asked Hochstetter. "Is it because I am getting close to proving you are Papa Bear?"

Weissmuller replaced the poker then strode over to Hochstetter "A very good question, indeed."

"It appears Hochstetter is too zealous on his quest to extinguish the underground. London wants him out of the way before he uncovers the whole underground operation," answered Hogan.

"Do you expect me to believe that? If anything, he is probably helping the underground. It is the only logical explanation for his area having the highest sabotage rate and the fewest results," accused Weissmuller.

"I assure you, I am a loyal German. I am doing the best I can trying to catch the ones responsible for the sabotage," defended Hochstetter. "I have made great progress. The sabotage in the area has gone down. It can only mean I am getting close."

Hogan nodded. "That's true. Every time something happens and he has no other suspects, he comes to camp accusing me of it. I noticed he hasn't been around much lately."

"Shut up, Hogan!" yelled Hochstetter.

"Just trying to help," said Hogan as innocently as he could. Distraction was one of his specialties. It wouldn't last long, but he hoped long enough for him to figure something else.

Hogan caught the look Lawrence gave him. Lawrence gave a quick wink, noting his approval. As much as Hogan wanted to listen to the conversation, he had to think up of a plan.

Unfortunately for Hogan, the arguing stopped with Weissmuller saying, "We will deal with this later. Right now, we have more important matters." Weissmuller removed the poker again. "Colonel, do you have any idea what I will do to you if you are lying to me?"

Hogan nodded, staring at the business end of the poker. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

"Do you want to change anything you have told me? You see, I doubt he told you any of that information just now. I do not believe he told you anything. I think this is something you had arranged from when you served under him."

"I am telling you the truth. Major Hochstetter's reputation has made it all the way to London. Before I got shot down, we referred to him as the evil Santa Claus, because he liked to deliver bad presents to people. Hence the giving gifts part of General Lawrence's story. It is up to you whether to believe the story. Wait a minute. You are not allowed to make such decisions. Hitler tells you what to believe," Hogan said.

Weissmuller drew the poker back to hit Hogan, when the door opened. "Halt!" Hogan saw Klink standing in the doorway. _Why on earth is he here?_

"Klink, what are you doing here?" growled Hochstetter.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I could be of some assistance," Klink said, walking toward Hogan.

Weissmuller lowered the poker as he stood next to Klink. "I assure you Colonel, we have everything under control. Now, if you will let us get back to our interrogation..."

"I have had this man in my custody for many years. Major Hochstetter has tried on countless occasions to extract information from him. Tell us, Major Hochstetter, have you ever had any success?" asked Klink.

"No, I haven't. I have discovered Colonel Hogan has a high pain tolerance. As of yet, I have not had any success in getting him to tell me anything useful." Hochstetter hung his head in shame. To the Gestapo he was a disgrace. To London, he was Hogan's savior.

"Tell us, Colonel, have you discovered the chink in his armor?" asked Weissmuller, replacing the poker for the second time into the hot coals.

"I don't know if this is any help, but Hogan did tell me once his brother use to pin him down and tickle him until Hogan told his brother what he wanted to know. But who am I to tell you how to do your job," said Klink.

"I told you that in confidence over a chess game," yelled Hogan, going along with it. If he had to be tortured, tickle torture would be the way he would choose. "How dare you tell them? I trusted you."

"Have you forgotten which uniform I wear? By the way, I gave your men the message. They are currently doing what those over them tell them to do. I will let you get back to your job, Major, while I get back to mine. Sorry for interrupting." Klink paused at the door. "Hogan, tell them what they want to know and end this."

"It's not me they want the information from," said Hogan, confused as to why Klink really stopped by or made up the story about him being ticklish. Why would he be in the neighborhood? Stalag 13 was a long ways from here.

After Klink left, Weissmuller turned back to Hogan. "So, shall we pick up from where we left off or is the general going to talk?"

"Why would I want to save someone who is a disgrace to the US? You have been in a POW camp for almost three years and haven't escaped from the likes of him? That is patheticsa," said Lawrence.

Hogan laughed. "Have to blame my CO for the lousy training."

Hogan noticed Weissmuller didn't have the enthusiasm he once did. Could Klink's interruption have caused him to lose his momentum? Hogan watched him pace in a thoughtful manner.

"Take them back to their cells. We will continue later," said Weissmuller

HH HH HH

Klink thought as he went back to the Abwehr headquarters. He had only heard about some of the extreme measures the Gestapo used to get people to talk. What puzzled him was they didn't want Hogan to talk. It must have something to do with the general in the room.

He laughed to himself at the story he came up with. It was absurd enough to be one of Hogan's ideas. He didn't even know if Hogan had a brother. It was something however, his brother used to do to him. He hoped it bought Hogan enough of a breather. At least now he had some information to tell Hogan's men.

Klink strode into Teppel's office. "I need to speak with Corporal Newkirk before you start."

Teppel glanced at the clock. "You have ten minutes."

Klink marched to Newkirk's cell. After the door was opened, he turned to the guard. "I am taking the Corporal for a short walk. I will bring him back in ten minutes."

"I shall accompany you, Sir," the guard responded.

Klink patted his holster. "No need. I know how to handle him." Klink motioned for Newkirk to follow him.

With hesitation, Newkirk followed. When they reached the outside, Klink leaned close to Newkirk's ear. "I know who Colonel Hogan is and what you can do. I just got back from visiting him. From what I am able to gather, they are torturing Hogan to get some general to talk. I have a feeling they will make Hogan die a slow, painful death if he doesn't get out of there soon. The general appeared to be unaffected by what they were doing to him."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. What do you expect us to do? We are being held by the Abwehr, and Gestapo surrounds the gov'nor," answered Newkirk.

"I know Hogan is responsible for everything around Stalag 13. Do you want them to torture him to the point where he talks?" asked Klink.

"I don't know what we can do?" said Newkirk.

Klink stopped walking. "I figured everything out after the cave in. I know a cave in did not cause Colonel Hogan's and Sergeant Christopher's injuries. I also believe Sergeant Wright did not die in the cave in. I doubt he is buried under the showers. I will try to arrange it so we can leave the Abwehr soon. Then it will be up to you. I will do whatever you want me to do."

Newkirk shook his head. "Who put you up to this, Kommandant? Do you think we would really fall for this trick?"

Klink slammed Newkirk against a wall. "They were ready to skewer Hogan with a red hot poker. Is that what you want?" Klink released his grip then backed up. He looked around to see if he had drawn any attention to himself. A few people had noticed, but quickly went on their way. "I guess I had you figured all wrong. You don't care about what they are doing to him, or how much pain he is in over there."

"Don't tell me about not caring. I have nightmares from when Koch tortured me in front of him. Knowing I caused the pain in his eyes hurt worse than anything Koch did to me." Newkirk glanced around. "_If_ we are able to do something, and I say if, what guarantees do I have this isn't a trap?"

"You have my word as an officer. I know it probably doesn't mean much to you. Right now it is all I have. I took a vow to help a certain person and I will fulfill it or die trying." Klink hoped Newkirk could see his sincerity. Later, he would prove his loyalty.

"Arrange for all of us to meet in a room with running water and no guards," Newkirk said after some thought.

"I will see what I can do. We must return." Klink led Newkirk back to his cell at the Abwehr headquarters. As he turned to leave, he saw Teppel walking down the hall. "I was just coming to see you, Major. I had an interesting talk with Corporal Newkirk. I recommend you put all the men in a room where they can talk amongst themselves. I suggest a room with running water. They might be more cooperative. If they don't feel they can talk freely, it might not work."

Teppel arched his eyebrow as he glanced at Newkirk. Newkirk gave a slight nod. "I will take it into consideration. If you don't mind, I have a job to do."

HH HH HH

The door shut and locked behind the men. Newkirk was impressed. He turned the water on.

"What's this about?" asked LeBeau

"Klink and I had a talk. He knows or suspects the truth about the gov'nor and us. He told me what they are doing to him. Klink made a vow to help Hogan escape or die trying," said Newkirk.

Carter laughed. "That's a funny one, Newkirk. Why would Klink care what they do to Colonel Hogan?"

"Why would he stick his neck out for him?" asked Olsen. "The only person Klink ever cared about was Klink.

Newkirk motioned for them to quiet down. "I don't have all the answers. Could be because Klink realizes Hogan is the reason for his perfect no escape record. I don't really know or care. All I know is he wants to help and we could use it."

"What makes you think we can trust him?" asked LeBeau

"He gave me his word as an officer," said Newkirk.

"You take the word of Kraut!" Carter exclaimed. "That will be the first."

"Klink seemed very sincere, but it is more than just his word. It was the emotion behind his words. Even the emotion in his eyes supported what he was saying." Newkirk paced, thinking through things. "My gut tells me to trust him. Since all of our lives are on the line, I want your thoughts. Do we trust him, or not?"

The men looked at each other, each trying to figure out what the others were thinking. If it were a trap, they would all die slow deaths, just as would Hogan if they did not rescue him soon.

Christopher placed his hand on Newkirk's shoulder. "I'm with whatever you decide. Kinch placed you in charge because he believes you will make the right choices."

Carter nodded. "I didn't come all the way to Berlin for nothing."

"I say we trust him," said Foster. "It is better than the plan we have now."

"I didn't know we had a plan," said Carter.

Foster smiled. "That's my point."

"I don't have anything better to do," Olsen said.

LeBeau scuffed his foot on the floor. "I agreed to be with Colonel Hogan to the end. If this is the end, I want it to be saving him. He would do the same for any of us."

"That settles it then. I'll tell Teppel to let Klink talk him into getting us out of here. Now this is what I have planned…"

HH HH HH

Klink nervously paced the room they let him wait in. Was he making the right choice? What would happen to him if Hogan's men felt threatened? What would happen if things went wrong? How on earth are they going to be able to pull this off? _I need a drink._

The door opened. "Herr Oberst, the Englander wishes to speak with you," said the guard.

Klink took a deep breath. He followed the guard to Newkirk's cell.

"We agree. Just get us out of here," said Newkirk, sternly.

"I will see what I can do." Klink practically ran to Teppel's office.

"Colonel Klink, am I allowed to interrogate them now or are you going to keep interfering?" Teppel asked with irritation in his voice.

"I am not going to delay you any longer." Teppel started to walk out the door. "Could you please finish quickly though? I need to get back to camp as soon as possible."

Teppel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If there is no more interference, I will have this over with shortly."

"Gut!" Klink exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.


	5. Memories And Truths

Chapter 5: Memories And Truths

Hogan's body ached from his torture session. If Klink had not stopped Weissmuller when he did, he would hurt a lot worse. As he felt his way to the far side of the dark cell, he shivered from the coldness. Freezing the prisoner was another Nazi trick to wear a person down. He felt around the dark cell for his jacket. After not finding it, he sat in the corner with his arms wrapped around his knees.

Memories of the past flooded his mind again. It was as if he was reliving the past. He prayed this time it had a better ending. His mind drifted back to the last time he was sitting in the same corner of the same cell, shivering from the cold and dampness. He remembered hearing a gun shot in the hall. Shortly afterwards, a guard came into the cell holstering his gun. They showed him a piece of paper Lawrence supposedly signed. Hogan knew they didn't get Lawrence to confess because the signature said Hans Schmidt; his undercover name.

At the time though, Hogan didn't know if Lawrence was dead or alive. He assumed he was dead. Hopelessness had overcome him. He had heard men in the hall talking. They were going to bring a doctor in tomorrow while they administered the final phase of interrogation; flogging. A doctor had to be present if the person was to be flogged more than twenty-five times, to either pronounce the person dead or send them a hospital(1).

The sound filling Hogan's cell brought his mind back to the present. He quickly put his hands over his ears trying to block the high-pitched noise. The sound made his ears hurt. It invaded his mind, making thinking difficult. He wanted to run from the noise, but there was nowhere for him to go. He had to endure it. Hochstetter had been right. That was the last rest they were going to let him have until it was over.

He started to feel the hopelessness of long ago creep upon him. Shaking his head, Hogan tried to get rid of the negative thoughts. He couldn't dwell on the past. He had to look to the future. He had to remind himself there was always hope. The noise caused his head to throb, making thinking difficult. He willed himself not to hear the noise.

Klink. What was he trying to do? Why was he here? Were his men safe? Hogan paced his cell to keep warm. No doubt about it, the Nazis knew what they were doing. He forced himself to think about the problem and not the current situation. His mind tried to piece the puzzle together. Right now, the only way this puzzle was going to fit together was with scissors.

He felt his stomach growl. He was so hungry and thirsty. As of yet, no food or water had been offered to him. He was tired of being hungry. He was tired of hurting. He was tired of his responsibility. He was tired of that confounded noise! His body told him to give in. Give the Nazis what they want. Convince Big Bird to tell the Nazis what they want to know. To stop fighting.

Some how through the noise he heard, "Fight! Fight for all you are worth."

Hogan looked around his cell. _That voice! It sounded like…No, it couldn't be. Not here. Could it?_ _My mind is playing tricks on me. It is my mind's way of helping me cope. No way could Kewpie be here._

The voice was right. He couldn't stop fighting. He made a resolve to never let the Nazis break him again. The Nazis had tortured him in just about every way imaginable. They succeeded in breaking him once, but not in getting him to confess to anything.

_Lord, I know you are up there watching. I want out of here as much as the next sane person. I know General Lawrence would not be here if it wasn't crucial in ending the war. Give me the opportunity to help free him so he can complete his mission. If it means my life, so be it. And if it isn't too much trouble, please stop this noise!_

HH HH HH

Teppel was true to his word. He finished the interrogations quickly. Newkirk took this time to convey the plan to Teppel. Teppel agreed to have everything ready at the safe house. The exchange of information was coded during the questioning. All Klink heard were questions about civilians the prisoners came in contact with while on work details.

Klink watched the men loaded into the back of the truck. He stopped Newkirk from boarding. "You ride up front with me. Guard, make sure they are securely fastened to the bench. If anyone tries to escape, Corporal Newkirk will suffer the consequences."

"I can send one of my men with you to keep an eye on the prisoners," Teppel suggested.

Klink shook his head. "Not necessary. They would not risk something happening to the Englander. Good day. Heil Hitler."

Klink had Newkirk drive out of the city limits. "Pull over here." The setting sun helped conceal their activities. "I got all of you released as I promised." Klink pulled out his gun. He turned the barrel so it faced him. After a deep breath, he handed Newkirk the weapon. "If you are not the men I think you are, you will put a bullet in my head and escape. If you are, I have nothing to worry about. It is your move, Corporal."

Klink watched Newkirk nervously as he took the gun. There was always the possibility he was wrong. Even if he was right, he could still be shot to protect their secret.

"Do you have any problems taking orders from a corporal?" asked Newkirk, while studying the gun.

Klink took a nervous breath. "No. I will do whatever you ask. You and the rest of the men are the experts here."

"If I think this is a trap, or you are going to talk, I will not hesitate to pull the trigger. Do I make myself clear?" stated Newkirk, coldly.

"Perfectly." Klink knew he was right about Hogan and his men. He was glad they did not view him as a threat.

"Shall we free my mates?" asked Newkirk, getting out of the truck.

The two men walked to the back of the truck. With some help from Newkirk, Klink made it into the truck.

"Are you sure about this, Peter?" asked LeBeau.

Newkirk put his arm over Klink's shoulder. "You see mate, Kommandant Klink and I have come to an understanding. We don't have to worry about him. Kommandant, you will need to ride back here. Christopher, you drive." Newkirk and Christopher pulled the back tarp down when they exited the back of the truck.

Klink sat down, understanding the reason why he had to ride in the back. They were headed to a safe house or something. For safety reasons they didn't want him to know the location. Klink couldn't help but wonder if it was for their safety or his.

After driving for about fifteen minutes, the truck came to a stop. Foster and Carter lifted the tarp, jumping out. Next was LeBeau. Klink made his way to the back of the truck. When he looked out the back of the truck, he could make out two stone buildings. One appeared to be a two-story house and the other looked to be a stone barn.

"Coming, Kommandant?" asked Carter.

"Oh, yes, Sergeant." Klink carefully climbed off the truck.

"Since we are going to be working together, you can call me Carter, like everyone else."

"As you wish…Carter," answered Klink.

"Kommandant, why do you want to help the Colonel?" asked Carter.

"I believe it is the right thing to do," Klink answered. For the first time he noticed how innocent Carter was. Carter had accepted him without question or protest, all because Newkirk said to.

"I'm glad you are allowing us to free him. At first I wasn't sure we should trust you, but Newkirk said he felt he could trust you. You know, lately he has been acting more and more like the Colonel? I wonder if it is because we spend so much time together. You know, Colonel Hogan is a good teacher. He…" Carter rambled.

Klink felt awkward being friendly with his prisoners. He had yelled at Schultz many times for this. He figured the best course of action was to follow the men and do as they wished. He followed Carter, who was still rambling, into what appeared to be the house. Newkirk stood in front of Klink. "For right now, the best way you can help us is to stay out of our way."

"I understand," Klink said, nodding in agreement. Since he had earned their trust, he didn't want to do anything to compromise it.

Klink sat in a chair while the rest of the men disappeared upstairs. Thirty minutes later, the men entered the living room, dressed as Gestapo. Klink closed his eyes. He thought he was ready for this, but now he wasn't sure.

"LeBeau, you have the transfer documents?" asked Newkirk.

"Oui." LeBeau answered. "I mean, ja, Herr Hauptmann."

"Carter, remember the plan?" asked Newkirk.

Carter sighed. "We go in, I demand a transfer because the underground is planning a raid to free the prisoners. We move them back to the safe house, and then back to camp."

"Good. We cannot afford any mess-ups. Kommandant, you will stay here. If we are not back in two hours, I recommend you leave. I wouldn't go back to camp either. Let's move out," ordered Newkirk.

"May I make a suggestion?" Klink asked hesitantly. "It sounds like a good plan except for one little detail. Has anyone called ahead to announce you are coming to transfer two prisoners?"

"We have our transfer papers. Carter will just scream, yell and threaten them until they are released into our custody," Newkirk responded. "It's worked before."

Klink closed his eyes. He was hearing information he wasn't ready for. He slowly opened his eyes. "For normal prisoners it might work. In Hammelburg it might work. You are in Berlin now. I recommend a call first. It might help speed up the process," Klink suggested.

"He is right, mon ami. From what we have been able to find out, General Lawrence is high profile. It will not be easy to get both of them released. I hate to say it, but Kommandant Klink has a good idea."

Klink was unsure how to take the complement. "Who normally makes the calls?"

"The man who signs all our transfer orders, General Kinchmeyer," answered Newkirk. "Unfortunately, he isn't here right now and we have no way to contact him.

"How do you normally get in touch with General Kinch…Kinchloe! Sergeant Kinchloe is General Kinchmeyer!" Klink stood in shock. He remembered all the orders he had received from a General Kinchmeyer. He now knew the "Germans" in his office presenting the orders were either Hogan's men or members of the underground.

"I do believe the Bald Eagle is getting smarter in his old age," commented Olsen.

"Problem is, if he can figure it out, why can't Hochstetter?" responded LeBeau.

"We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it," Newkirk said flatly.

"After we cross it, can I blow it up?" asked Carter, enthusiastically.

Everyone, including Klink, rolled their eyes. "I'm not going to acknowledge that with an answer." Newkirk glanced around for a phone. He found one in the kitchen. "Kommandant, give us five minutes, then place the call. General Kinchmeyer is the name on the transfer orders so you will give them that name. You must be convincing. It will have to be your best Kraut impersonation."

Klink stomped his foot. "I am a Kraut… German. I can not do a better impersonation than being myself."

Newkirk shrugged. "I guess it will do. Remember to be assertive. No matter what they say, don't back down. You have to act like an uppity general who is used to getting his way. Your life depends on it as much as ours. Let's move out."

HH HHH HH

Weissmuller paced his office thinking. The two allied officers were putting on a good show of being adversaries instead of on the same side. Not once did Lawrence show any concern for Hogan's wellbeing.

He sat at his desk, staring at Hogan's and Lawrence's folders. He first opened Lawrence's folder. There wasn't anything in it to help Weissmuller find Lawrence's weakness. He carefully read through Hogan's folder. After he read a couple of pages, he shut the folder.

_Why on Earth did Klink come in here and tell me about Hogan being ticklish?_ He could just imagine what his superiors would say if he tried to extract information by tickling someone. It was fine for kids to tickle each other, but not adults and especially not the Gestapo.

He went back to reading Hogan's folder again. After a few more pages he stopped. _If I tickle tortured them and came up empty handed, I would be the laughing stock. However, if I succeed, I will be a hero. This could be a way for me to convince Lawrence to talk. No. I want Hogan to convince Lawrence to talk. I want Lawrence to see Hogan cooperate fully with the Gestapo._

Weissmuller smiled evilly as he leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. He remembered when he would pin the neighborhood boys down and tickle them until they gave him what he wanted. No one denied him anything.

After reading Hogan's file, he realized, Hogan had been tortured about every way imaginable. Not once did he ever give any useful information. He had to approach this from a different angle if he wanted results. These two men were not ordinary prisoners, and ordinary methods would not work.

HH HH HH

To Hogan's relief, the noise stopped. He looked upward, mouthing grateful thanks. He slid to the floor to relax. He felt his wrist. No watch. No shirt or jacket. No light.

Hogan's heart stopped when he heard the cell door unlock. In walked the big guard from earlier who was ordered to remove Hogan's shirt.

"I guess they are ready for me again. Let's go." Hogan stood, placing his hands behind him.

"Nein. You stand at attention," the guard said in broken English.

"Why?" asked Hogan. The guard brought his weapon up to strike Hogan. Hogan put his hands up in defense. "Hold on. I'll do it." After the guard lowered his weapon, Hogan lowered his hands. He straightened up, standing at attention. "Didn't have to get so hostile. I just wanted to know why." The guard didn't say a word.

After a few minutes, Hogan started to relax his posture. The guard quickly brought his weapon up, signaling what would happen if Hogan didn't stand at attention. "Fine. You win." Hogan did as the guard wanted.

About an hour later, Hochstetter entered the cell. "It is nice seeing you stand at attention." Hogan didn't say a word. "Weissmuller has asked me to take you to another cell to be questioned."

Hochstetter walked out the door. Hogan looked at the guard to make sure it was okay for him to move. The guard nodded. To Hogan's surprise, the guard didn't handcuff him while they moved him to the interrogation room. He wasn't going to draw attention to it. He would be quiet and thankful.

Hogan looked around the room. This time, Lawrence wasn't there. The only thing in the room was one long table, one small table with a box on it, and the cart containing the hot coals and poker.

"Colonel, take off your socks and shoes, then lay down on the table," ordered Hochstetter.

With disgust, Hogan obeyed. "Can you at least tell me what is going on, and where General Lawrence is?"

Hochstetter opened the box on the table, removing four leather straps. He proceeded to tie Hogan's arms and legs to the legs on the table.

"Major, what is going on here? What is he going to do to me?" Hogan asked with a little panic. He couldn't get his eyes off the poker. His mind was coming up with all sorts of new torture methods.

"You will soon get your answer." Hochstetter motioned for the guard to follow him out of the room.

Hogan looked around again. He tested the strength of his restraints. _Remember, anticipation of torture is worse than the torture itself. This is a very useful method the Nazis will use on you if you are captured. Don't give in to it. Force your mind to think about pleasant things._

Hogan learned a lot of useful information he never thought he would use from Lawrence. At the time he was taught it, he didn't understand it. Now, with nothing else to do but wonder what they were going to do to him, or Lawrence for that matter, he recalled what Lawrence had taught him about surviving interrogations.

After a few minutes, Weissmuller entered the room, wiping blood off his hands. "Are we having fun yet?"

"It should be against the Geneva Convention to have this much fun," came Hogan's sarcastic answer.

"I am glad you are having so much fun. How about if we have more fun." Weissmuller circled around Hogan.

Weissmuller bent close to Hogan's ear. "Colonel, I am losing patience with the two of you. I have read through both of your files. There is nothing in there to help me find out why the general is here. We are both military officers who have superiors. You know what it is like when they put pressure on you for results. I am now allowed to do whatever it takes to get answers. You can save him a great deal of pain by putting your differences aside and cooperating."

"So what, you resort to beating the information out of him? I have already told you why he is here. He told me he was here to take Hochstetter back to London," said Hogan.

"I believe you. I believe he told you that. But, I don't believe him." Weissmuller poked the hot coals some with the poker. He walked back to Hogan. "I am afraid the next round is too gruesome for you to watch." Weissmuller pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and tied it around Hogan's eyes.

"Wait a minute! Don't I get a say? What if I prefer to watch?" asked Hogan.

Weissmuller walked back over to the poker. He stirred the coals a little. "Last chance, Colonel. Are you going to cooperate with us in getting answers from General Lawrence, or should I continue with my plan?"

HH HH HH

Klink glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. It was time to place the call. He picked up the phone. "Hello, operator? Connect me with Gestapo headquarters in Berlin. Danke." Klink waited for the call to go through. "This is General Kinchmeyer, Heil Hitler. I have received word the underground is planning on a rescue attempt of two prisoners. I am sending my men to escort them to a safe house… How I know and you don't is of no concern… No, I will not tell you where it is. The underground might be listening in. Just do as I say… Release General Lawrence and Colonel Hogan to my men. They will have transfer orders… Let us worry about the interrogation… If you do not cooperate, I will have you punished… You do realize they are in need of people to serve at the Eastern Front?… You dare tell a General what he can and can't do?… I thought you would change your mind. Heil Hitler."

Klink hung up the phone. His nerves were shaking. _Please let this be over with soon I don't know how much more I can take. I wonder if there is anything to drink around here?_

A/N:(1) This account is based on a mixture of online sources.


	6. Free At Last

Chapter 6: Free At Last

The truck stopped in front of Gestapo Headquarters. The men marched in, stopping at the front desk. The clerk at the front desk came to attention. "Heil Hitler."

"Heil. I have transfer papers here for General Lawrence and Colonel Hogan. I want them brought to me immediately." Carter slammed his fist on the desk. "We will finish the interrogations at the safe house."

"Jawohl. I received a phone call from General Kinchmeyer a short time ago, informing me of the transfer." The clerk picked up the phone. "I have a Colonel… Pardon me Colonel, what is your name."

"Cartenmuller. Colonel Cartenmuller," answered Carter with just enough irritation in his voice to scare the clerk.

"Colonel Cartenmuller was sent here by General Kinchmeyer to escort General Lawrence and Colonel Hogan to a safe house… I received a call a few minutes ago from General Kinchmeyer himself authorizing the transfer… I know they are in the middle of being interrogated. General Kinchmeyer said he would conduct the interrogation at a safe house… They are being moved because a reliable source discovered the Underground is planning a rescue attempt… You want me to ask him to wait!…"

Carter growled in disgust. "I wait on no one. Tell me what room are they in and I will get them myself. When I get down there," Carter cracked his knuckles, "well let's just say it won't be pretty."

"Sir, send the prisoners here now. Please," begged the clerk. "Danke." The clerk hung up the phone. "They will be here shortly."

"They better be," snarled Carter.

HH HH HH

Weissmuller saw the fear on Hogan's face. The look brought a smile to his. "I am sorry you didn't choose to cooperate. The only person you have blame for what I am going to do to you and what I am having done to your CO is yourself."

"What are you doing to him?" asked Hogan.

"I would be more concerned with yourself at the moment." Weissmuller watched with delight as Hogan's body contorted when he placed the object in his hand next to Hogan's side.

Weissmuller laughed when he saw realization dawn on Hogan that he didn't brush the hot poker against him, but a feather.

"What the…?" commented Hogan.

The feather continued to move its way up and down Hogan's side, causing him to squirm. Not in pain, but in laughter. Finally Hogan could not stand it any more and started laughing. He laughed until tears came out of his eyes.

"Cooperate, Colonel and I will stop the tickling. Otherwise I will continue until you have laughed your last breath," threatened Weissmuller.

Hogan was already reaching the point where it was hard for him to catch his breath. His stomach muscles ached as if he had been beaten.

"I… I don't know… haha hehehe… how much more help I can be… hehehehe. He won't listen… hehehe hahaha… to a word I say," said Hogan.

"Agree to help me convince Lawrence to talk and I will stop." Weissmuller started to rub the feather along the bottom of his feet.

"Hehehehe. I… am sure… hahahaha… this is against the Geneva Convention. Hehehehe hahahaha," contended Hogan.

Weissmuller pulled out another feather and started tickling both feet. "This is too much," laughed Hogan. "All right… all right. I'll try. Just please stop tickling."

Weissmuller stared at Hogan in disbelief. Could it have really been this simple to get Hogan's cooperation? Or maybe he has alternate motive for agreeing to help.

"What is the big deal any way? You have a general in custody. It must be big points with the brass. Who cares why he is here? Maybe he was telling the truth," said Hogan.

"The Führer thinks it's a big deal." Weissmuller opened the door, motioning for a guard to come in. "Untie, Colonel Hogan."

The guard removed Hogan's restraints. Hogan sat up holding his still sore sides. Weissmuller left the room, signaling to the guard to bring Hogan. The guard pushed Hogan when he bent down to get his shoes. "I am just trying to get my shoes. Calm down." The guard pointed his gun at Hogan, leaving no room for arguing. "You know you have a communication problem. It would do you some good to learn a little patience." The guard poked Hogan in the side with the gun barrel. Hogan raised his hands in surrender. "Easy. I'm going."

HH HH HH

Kinch wandered the tunnels, double-checking the wiring for the explosives. He wanted to go home as much as any other prisoner, but he didn't want to leave like this. He gathered all important papers and codebooks into a pile. He had to be ready to close up shop with a moment's notice. He was used to this routine. He did it every time one of them was captured, or if it was a highly risky mission. This one had both aspects.

Kinch sat at the radio, making sure it was on and working. He was getting old before his time with all the worrying he did for his friends. At first, staying behind bothered him. Now it didn't. Well, not as much. He realized how important it was to have someone here to monitor the radio and to take charge when Hogan wasn't around.

Memories of the first time he and Hogan met came to his mind. Few prisoners had anything to do with him, unless it was harassing him in someway. Hogan, in his gentle way, reminded everyone they should be fighting the Krauts and not each other. As long as they discriminated and viewed people who were different as less human, they were no better than the Nazis they were fighting.

Kinch shook his head; same story, different book. Would this war really solve anything? Would he ever truly be accepted as an equal? Hogan was his best friend and the greatest man he knew. Too bad there weren't more like him around.

It had been thirty-two hours since Hochstetter took Hogan to Berlin. A lot could happen in that amount of time. He had gotten word from the underground in Berlin the guys made it ok, just no word as to what would convince the Nazis to take Hogan to Berlin. Maybe the mission was a lost cause and Hogan was already dead.

NO! Kinch could not afford to think that way. Hogan was alive, waiting for someone to rescue him. No, he wouldn't be waiting for a rescue. Hogan gave standing orders; no one was to risk his life to save him. Orders were to evacuate the camp after destroying everything which could hurt the Allied chances of winning the war if discovered by the Nazis.

If Hogan carried out his court martial threat every time this order was disobeyed, they would all be in the brig until their grandkids retired from the military. This time Hogan couldn't hold disobeying orders against them. London's order trumped his orders. Unfortunately, London would have no problem bringing them up on charges if they discovered they were getting both men out.

HH HH HH

Hogan joined Weissmuller in front of one of the cell doors. He didn't worry about Lawrence giving away the real nature of his mission, only the cover he helped create. Maybe he could help Lawrence by playing along with the Nazis, and get them to believe the cover story. Once they believe it, they could continue to see about trading him. "General Lawrence, Colonel Hogan has something to say to you."

"General, these men mean business. Tell them in simple terms, without any codes, what you told me earlier." There was no answer. "General?" Hogan looked at Weissmuller with worry. "What did you do to him earlier? I want to see him now."

"Colonel, you are in no position to demand anything," Weissmuller said, with some fury. His features lit. "Since you are cooperating, I will let you see him."

When Weissmuller opened the cell door, Hogan saw Lawrence kneeling on the ground, with his hands on his head. Hochstetter was standing behind him with a gun pointed at his head. Hogan noticed though, there were no visible bruises or lacerations. Hogan remembered seeing Weissmuller wiping blood off his hands. He mentioned something about what he was having done to him. It was nothing more than mind games.

"General, are you all right?" asked Hogan. Lawrence did not answer. Hogan glared at Weissmuller. "Why won't he answer me?"

"Simple. Hochstetter has orders to shoot him if he says anything. I wanted to test you to see how cooperative you would be." The glare Lawrence gave Hogan for cooperating brought Weissmuller immense joy.

Hogan continued to play his role as the cowed prisoner. "You tricked me! You didn't do anything to him. It was all a lie."

"Yes, it was. I wanted Lawrence to see one of his men collaborate with the enemy. The hatred he feels right now is better than I could have hoped for. As you said earlier, the reason you cannot escape from Stalag 13 is because of his lousy training. He realizes he is a failure as a soldier. You have single-handedly crushed his hopes. This proves the superiority of the Third Reich. A German would not have been tricked so easily. When will you realize you can never win? We will beat the Allies like dogs until they learn their place," boasted Weissmuller.

Hogan stood toe to toe with Weissmuller. "I have had enough of your games. Any deal we had is off. You will not get any more help from me."

Before Hogan knew what had happened, he was laying on the floor, holding the side of his head. When he looked at Weissmuller, he was holding a rod in his hand. _Where on earth did that come from? He didn't have it a second ago?_

As Hogan stood, he saw how nervous Hochstetter looked. Was he jealous someone else was playing with his toy? At the moment, Hogan wished Hochstetter were questioning him. Hochstetter didn't try to play mind games with him. It was always simple torture until a confession was made or he decided to give up.

A guard walked up to Weissmuller, handing him a small case. "Gut! It is here."

Weissmuller opened the box, extracting a syringe. He checked the syringe to make sure all air bubbles were out. "I am told this poison, depending on how much is administered, and how it reacts with the person's body, can be very interesting. It can cause everything from pain to hallucinations." Weissmuller stood beside Hogan, holding the needle close to Hogan's arm. "Last chance, General. I, too, am tired of playing games and want answers." After Lawrence did not respond, Weissmuller ordered, "Hold him."

The big guard pushed Hogan against the wall, pinning him with his body as he held Hogan's arm still. Hogan read the regret in Lawrence's eyes. Weissmuller was about to insert the needle into Hogan's arm when the door opened.

"Whoever is disturbing me better have a good reason," growled Weissmuller.

"Sir, there is a colonel here by orders of a general to move the prisoners to a safe house. Apparently, an underground organization is planning a rescue attempt. The colonel is not happy and… well, you know how unhappy colonels and generals can be," said a lieutenant who had the misfortune of delivering the news.

"Aarrrgh! Why am I constantly being interrupted? I am close to breaking the two Americans. I will go with them to finish the interrogation," Weissmuller yelled.

"Sir, the general said he would handle the interrogation from here. Your help is no longer needed," he said sheepishly.

Hogan could have sworn steam came from Weissmuller's ears. "We shall see about that."

HH HH HH

Weissmuller stormed to where Carter and the men were waiting. He came to attention in front of Carter. "Sir, I am close to breaking the two Americans. Give me a few more minutes."

"We may not have a few more minutes. What part of the order did you not understand! If the underground manages to free them, you will be taking their place. Now bring me my prisoners!" yelled Carter.

"Sir, may I accompany you to the safe house to finish the interrogation?" inquired Weissmuller.

"Nein. General Kinchmeyer and I will handle the interrogation. It is clear to me you are not capable of doing the job right." Carter glared at Weissmuller, daring him to give one more protest or comment.

"May I call General Kinchmeyer and explain the situation?" asked Weissmuller.

"Of course you may," said Carter sweetly. Then more sternly he said, "While you are on the phone, you can explain to him why the underground was able to free the prisoners."

"They will be here shortly." Weissmuller fumed as he marched to Lawrence's cell. "Get the Colonel's shirt, jacket, shoes and hat. Take them both to the colonel," Weissmuller ordered. "Looks like your luck is holding out. It seems you have a short reprieve until this colonel can question you."

"Pity, you don't get to play any more. I was so looking forward to the next round," said Hogan sarcastically.

Weissmuller lost his temper. He threw Hogan to the floor. "We shall see who gets the last laugh." Weissmuller jammed the syringe into Hogan's arm. "Your General has held up well under the questioning so far. Too bad I will not be there to see how the poison will affect you, or watch you plead for the general to tell everything he knows." He pressed the syringe, forcing the poison into Hogan's arm.

"No!" yelled Lawrence. "You want a confession? Here it is. I was sent here by London to capture Major Hochstetter. Now give him the antidote."

Weissmuller laughed. "Too late, General. You had your chance."

Hochstetter leaned close to Weissmuller and asked in a low voice, "Major, what about the antidote? If the General is to use Hogan to get Lawrence to talk, it will not work if Lawrence knows there is no cure for Hogan."

Weissmuller glared at Hogan, lying on the floor. "A bullet to the head would cure him."

"You know the orders about killing Hogan. Are you going to disobey the Reichsmarschall's orders?" reminded Hochstetter.

With disgust, Weissmuller says "I remember. Get them out of here."

"Give me the antidote. I am going with them. I am not letting the most dangerous man in Germany out of my sight," said Hochstetter, holding out his hand.

"If they let you go." Weissmuller handed Hochstetter the case containing the remaining syringe. Weissmuller leaned close to Hochstetter's ear. In a low whisper he said, "Make sure he suffers long after the colonel is through with them."

HH HH HH

Hogan's head spun from the poison. He wondered how it was going to affect him. As the guard ushered him down the hall, he had a hard time walking straight. He was so dizzy, he barely noticed them cuffing his hands, or throwing his shirt and jacket across his shoulders. They tied his shoelaces together and slung his shoes over his shoulder as well. His hat was placed sideways on his head.

When the guard pushed Hogan to walk, Hogan lost his balance and fell to his knees. The guard with Hochstetter yanked Hogan to his feet. "Get up, filthy animal."

Lawrence walked beside Hogan. "Sorry I got you into this."

Hogan managed a weak smile. "No, you're not or you wouldn't have."

HH HH HH

It was hard for his men to not react when they saw their CO staggering down the hall. His chest was covered with blood, sweat and dirt. Each person mentally kicked himself for not acting sooner. Hogan was safe for now. Or so they thought.

"What have you done to this man? He looks terrible," Carter demanded.

"Major Weissmuller was using him to coax the general into talking," explained Hochstetter.

"My men will take it from here." Carter motioned for Foster and Christopher to get Hogan. "You may go."

"Sir, Colonel Hogan was released into my custody. I am responsible for everything that happens to him. I understand you or the general will finish conducting the interrogation. I only want to observe. I have questioned this man for a long time. If he happens to confess to anything, I am obligated to be there by orders of the Reichsmarschall," said Hochstetter, walking up to Carter. "If I have to, I will call him to confirm his orders."

It didn't take much thought to realize they had to let Hochstetter go with them. If they protested too strongly, it would increase their chances of getting found out. For Hogan's sake, they had to get out of here as quickly as they could.

"You may go to observe. You will in no way interfere with the way we interrogate the prisoners," said Carter, with disgust.

"I will have my driver bring the car around. With your permission, I would like Hogan to ride with me. In the event the underground attempt a rescue on the road, separating the two officers will make it harder for them to succeed." Hochstetter's tone was more demanding than asking.

"You will follow us closely. I will have one of my men ride with you just in case you get separated," _and to make sure you don't hurt him any more, _stated Carter.

About the time Hochstetter got Hogan to his car, Hogan was feeling nauseated. He was so focused on not losing his stomach, he didn't notice the men who were taking charge were his own men. When Hogan was seated in the car, his wrists were cuffed to the bar again.

Hogan's temperature started to rise. Sweat poured off him. His shirt and jacket became uncomfortable on him. He looked at his cuffed wrists. Hochstetter wasn't taking any chances. He had been cuffed or locked up since this all began. Hogan faced the floor. All he could do was pray there was still some way out of this.


	7. Politics

Chapter 7: Politics

Hogan groaned with every little bump in the road. He tried to clench his fists, but it hurt too badly. He tried to focus on his breathing and not the nausea or how hot he was. This helped some until the car hit a big pothole, causing Hogan's shirt and jacket to move slightly. A loud groan escaped from his lips. Newkirk glanced behind him to make sure Hochstetter hadn't done anything to Hogan.

"Major, could you please remove my shirt and jacket?" Hogan said.

Hochstetter was surprised Hogan said his rank with true respect. Of all the times Hochstetter had talked with Hogan, this was the first time Hogan showed him any amount of respect. "Why do I want to do that?" Hochstetter said flatly to hide his surprise.

Hogan rested his head against the cool window. "Just thought I would ask."

"I think he ought to suffer as we suffer because of the Americans," commented the guard.

Hochstetter could tell by the way Hogan talked, he had reached his limit. Hochstetter felt in his pocket for the case Weissmuller had given him. Moving to block the view of the occupants of the front seat, Hochstetter removed the syringe containing the antidote. Hochstetter talked to the two men in the front as he leaned close to Hogan, inserting the syringe into Hogan's arm. For the sake of the Allies, he couldn't allow Hogan to reach the point where he would say or do anything to ease the pain.

For the first time, Hochstetter noticed the length Hogan was willing to suffer for his beliefs. Shame overcame Hochstetter as he remembered all the pain he had caused Hogan. If he had kept his mouth shut, Hogan would not be suffering now, but safe and sound at Stalag 13.

HH HH HH

Klink paced the living room, glancing at his watch every few minutes. They have been gone an hour and forty-five minutes. He had been told at the two-hour mark to leave. _Where are they? Why are they not back? Where do I go if they don't come back?_

A truck stopping in front of the house drew Klink to the window. A smile appeared on his face as he saw Carter and the rest of the men exit the truck. His smile disappeared when he saw Hochstetter step out of his staff car.

"What is this man doing here?"Klink said under his breath. "He wasn't part of the plan."

He quickly ran upstairs, in case Hochstetter decided to enter the house. Hochstetter was the last person he wanted to discover he had helped the Allies rescue Hogan and Lawrence. Klink went to a window, so he could observe what took place outside.

He gasped when he saw Hogan fall to his knees as he stepped out of the car. "Oh!" Klink could not see in the dark why Hogan fell to his knees, but he heard it. The sound of Hogan's stomach empting itself of its contents almost caused Klink to do the same.

HH HH HH

Hogan groaned in pain as the guard pushed him into one of the barn's wood and iron stalls. The handcuffs on his wrists aggravated the soars he had received for his hands being cuffed earlier.

"Leave him alone. Haven't you caused him enough discomfort yet? I told you all there is to tell. Let him return to his Stalag," pleaded Lawrence.

Hogan's men bit their tongues to keep from telling the guard off. When the door was shut, Hogan leaned against the cool stone wall. He slid to his knees from exhaustion. Fatigue was knocking. He had little sleep, and no food or water, since he left Stalag 13. He wanted to open the door wide, succumbing to the comforting arms of oblivion, but he couldn't. Something wouldn't let him. Something inside would not let him give up.

"If you are so concerned for his well being, tell us what we want to know. What was your mission? Give us some useful information about the Allied forces, and I will ease his suffering," said Hochstetter.

"I told you. I was sent here by London to take you back to London. As for any military secrets… you might as well kill us. The secrets I know are not much of a secret," stated Lawrence, tiredly.

"Why don't you let us be the judge of that," said Hochstetter smoothly. "Why is London so interested in me anyway? Am I close to discovering Papa Bear's true identity?"

"Major, have you forgotten who is conducting the interrogation here?" asked Carter, sternly.

Hochstetter stepped back. "Sorry, Sir. I will not overstep my bounds again."

"Let's hope not. When was the last time these men had something to eat or drink?" asked Carter.

"I am not sure, Colonel. To my knowledge they have not received anything since Hogan and I arrived," answered Hochstetter.

"Rascher, get water for the two prisoners. I am feeling a bit hungry myself. Schweger, go into town and get us some food," ordered Carter.

"Jawohl, Herr Oberst." Foster and LeBeau saluted, doing as ordered.

Carter strode to Hogan's stall. "I want to know exactly what has been done to this man."

"Major Weissmuller gave him some sort of poison. He wasn't sure of side effects. If General Lawrence saw Hogan in enough discomfort, he would tell us everything he knows," answered Hochstetter.

Carter swallowed hard. "Has it worked?"

"Nein. Hogan nor the general has said anything," answered Hochstetter. "Nothing we believe to be true."

Foster went into Hogan's stall first with the water. He put a cup of water to Hogan's lips. His lips stung with the touch, but he was so thirsty he closed his eyes, forcing himself to tolerate the pain. He opened his mouth, signaling he wanted the water.

Foster slowly poured the water into Hogan's mouth. Hogan choked trying to swallow. Even his mouth and throat hurt. He opened his mouth again. This time, he was able to swallow all the water.

"While we are waiting for our food, I will question General Lawrence. You stand guard outside, and you help guard the prisoners." Carter pointed to Olsen and Foster. "Bring the general to the house. And Major, I suggest giving Colonel Hogan the antidote. Since I am now in charge of the interrogation, we will do things my way."

"Jawohl, Herr Oberst," responded Hochstetter.

The men watched Hochstetter enter Hogan's stall. Hogan didn't resist when Hochstetter grabbed his arm. He closed his eyes, his concentration on the coolness of the stones against his body.

Hogan jerked when Hochstetter bumped into him as he stood up. He smiled weakly when his shoes, shirt and jacket fell to the floor. A strange thought occurred to Hogan._ It isn't like Hochstetter to be clumsily. _Hogan watched Hochstetter exit the stall. Shaking his head slightly, he dismissed any thoughts of it being a simple bump.

HH HH HH

Carter, Newkirk, Christopher and Lawrence walked into the house.

"If you think you are going to get any other answers out of me, you are greatly mistaken," declared Lawrence. "Why don't you do the Allies a favor and kill Hogan. We don't want a disgrace like him."

"Now wait a minute, General. You can't mean that about Colonel Hogan," said Carter. "You have no idea what he has been through or what he does here."

"What? You sound American? What's going on here? Is this some kind of Nazi trick?" Lawrence asked.

"Carter, keep an eye on the front. Christopher, watch the barn," ordered Newkirk.

"You're not German. You're English," commented Lawrence.

"Good job. Next week we will work on colors. Um, Sir," responded Newkirk.

"What is going on here?" demanded Lawrence, angrily.

"We are Papa Bear's cubs. Goldilocks ordered us to free Big Bird from his cage so he can fly home." Newkirk knew using all those code words in one sentence would scream they are all on the same side.

"I don't understand…" said Lawrence in shock.

"You don't have to, mate. Just go along with it. Hopefully, we will all get out alive, so to speak." Newkirk disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned, he brought with him a rope and the door to the wood burning stove. "Put this on your back, Sir."

"Why? Are you planning on shooting your way out of here?" asked Lawrence.

"Not exactly. We are planning on only shooting you in the back. If you are alive they will look for you. No one wastes time looking for a dead bloke."

"Have you lost your mind!" yelled Lawrence. "You can go around shooting generals."

"Blame it on hanging around the gov'nor too much. I think he has rubbed off on me. Now this is what I have planned…"

HH HH HH

LeBeau arrived at the Gugelhof. The place was crowded. He waited at the counter for the waiter. The waiter walked up to him. "Ja, Corporal?"

"I need ten sandwiches and soups," answered LeBeau in his best German.

"Anything else?" asked the waiter.

"Ja, I would like to speak to Max," answered LeBeau.

"I will get him for you, after I turn your order in," the waiter said as he left.

A few minutes later, an elderly, gray-haired man walked up to LeBeau. "I am Max. What can I do for you, Corporal?"

"I hear you are a great story teller. I was wondering if you could tell me a story while I am waiting on my food?" asked LeBeau.

"How about if I tell you the one about the three bears?" asked Max.

"I love the story. Please do." LeBeau positioned himself to listen.

Max began. "There was a Papa Bear who was out finding food for his family. Some trappers caught him. He tried to get away, but couldn't." LeBeau nodded his head. "It was getting late. Mama Bear and Baby Bear started to worry. They asked their friends for help. All of them searched for Papa Bear. Alas, they couldn't find Papa Bear. It was getting late so they stopped for a bite to eat."

LeBeau smiled. _What they won't think of next for communicating messages. "_I heard Papa Bear was found by Baby Bear and his friends. Baby Bear wished he could call Mama Bear to let her know Papa Bear is safe."

"I see. I like stories with happy endings." Max shook LeBeau's hand, passing him a message. "Have a good day, Corporal."

LeBeau looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched. He read the note. _Back room._ LeBeau got the waiter's attention. "I will be back in a moment."

"I will hold your food. It will be ready in about five minutes," responded the waiter.

LeBeau walked to the back room. "Max?"

LeBeau was yanked into a room across from the back room. Max pinned him against the wall. He was strong for an old man. "Keep your voice down." Max let LeBeau go. He moved some boxes stacked in the corner. Then he removed some of the bricks from the wall. "You have two minutes to use the radio."

LeBeau immediately set the dials. "Little Red Riding Hood calling Bear den."

There was a little bit of static before he heard a response. "I am glad to hear from you. Did you get both packages?" asked Kinch.

"Oui. The Big Bad Wolf decided to come with us. So far things are going well. One package is damaged. Will try to be home in the morning."

"What about Bald Eagle?" asked Kinch

"Will discuss later. Little Red Riding Hood out." LeBeau replaced the radio, bricks and boxes. He went back to the counter, where his food was waiting. "How much do I owe you?"

"Max said it's on the house," answered the waiter.

"Danke." LeBeau grabbed the box of food and left.

HH HH HH

Hochstetter watched Hogan lean against the side of the stall. He wondered how much longer it would be before the antidote fully worked.

"Hogan, why do you insist on being stubborn? You said you hate this man, yet you are willing to suffer for him," said Hochstetter, as he rested his arms on the bars around the stall.

"You wouldn't understand," came Hogan's quiet voice.

"You will be surprised at what I can understand. What has he threatened you with to keep silent?" inquired Hochstetter.

Hogan gave a weak laugh. "Fear is all you understand. I am not keeping quiet out of fear. I am loyal to him out of respect. Remember during the First World War, pilots talked about the flying abilities of enemy pilots with respect. Some pilots during this war have a mutual respect for each other even though they are enemies."

"Believe it or not, I remember those days. But this is different," said Hochstetter.

Hogan shook his head and stared at Hochstetter. "No difference. I hate him, but I also respect him. He is a man of his word. When he says he is going to do something, he will do it or die trying. He is a person you can count on and trust."

Hochstetter shrugged. "If he is such a great man, why do you hate him?"

"You serve under him then tell me if you like him. Stuff he has put me through makes you look like a pussy cat," said Hogan. "Why do you think I have been able to hold up?"

A smile appeared on Hochstetter's face. His plan to get Hogan's mind off his discomfort was working. The more emotional Hogan got, the stronger his voice got. "Hogan, why are you here?"

"Don't you know? You brought me here," said Hogan sarcastically.

"Not here, here. Here in Germany?" asked Hochstetter with some irritation.

"You see, I was flying in my plane and some hot shot in a German plane shot me down. Then I was captured…" said Hogan.

A growl came from Hochstetter. "You know what I mean."

"We want to help people think. We want them to be free to make their own decisions without fear of persecution. I heard a saying once, 'What good fortune for governments that the people do not think'. Do you know who said it?" inquired Hogan.

"Churchill, or maybe Roosevelt?" suggested Hochstetter.

"Wrong. It was king bubblehead himself, Adolf Hitler," Hogan said.

"You lie. All Americans lie. Major, are you going to let this schwein get away with blaspheming the Führer like that?" said the guard, banging on the bars.

Hochstetter stared at the guard in disbelief. For some reason, the grudge he had against the Allies seemed personal. If he wasn't careful, this guard could cause him problems. "Hogan, refrain from making political comments or I will have to teach you a lesson in respect," warned Hochstetter. He couldn't risk the wrong person discovering he was being lenient with the enemy.

Hochstetter hoped Hogan would heed his warning. He didn't want to cause Hogan any more pain. He told himself he would only question Hogan in the future. No more torture.

"Don't you mean fear? That is what is wrong with this country now. Instead of ruling this country by respect, it is ruled by fear. The people are too scared to think or speak their minds. If more people stood up against the bullies running this country, we wouldn't be here," said Hogan, adamantly.

The comments Hogan made surprised Hochstetter. He had never heard Hogan argue politics before. Except for smart remarks, Hogan was never this passionate or vocal. _What was in the antidote?_

"What do you know about living here? The Führer gave us jobs, hope and our pride back after you took it away from us. Americans have everything handed to them on a silver platter. You have never had your pride taken away," yelled the guard.

Hogan shook his head. "You must not know about American history. In case you didn't know, England used to control us and tell us what to do. One day we finally had enough and started the American Revolution. Now look at us. We fight on the same side."

"I hate you and everything you stand for. Get out of my country and leave us alone!" The guard beat on the bars harder. If he could have gotten to Hogan, he would have tried to rip Hogan's head off. "Major, if you don't punish him for his insolence, then I will." The guard grabbed a whip hanging on the wall. He handed it to Hochstetter.

Foster stared in fright. "You cannot do anything to the prisoners without permission from the colonel."

"He deserves to be punished for his comments. Anyone who speaks against the Führer deserves to be beaten. The Führer has done nothing but good for us," defended the guard. "And these schwein want to take it all away from us. Just like the British took yours away."

"Tried," Hogan corrected.

"Just as you won against them, we will win against you. Major, are you going to punish him or not? I am sure the colonel will understand when he finds out what was said," said the guard, breathlessly.

Hochstetter glared at Hogan for putting him in this predicament. "I will do it." _If I let you do it, you will probably kill him._ "Cuff him to the stall bars."

"No need. I refuse to be afraid to speak the truth. If this is my reward, so be it." Slowly, Hogan stood and faced the wall.

Regrettably, Hochstetter entered the stall. "I warned you what would happen."

"Nein!" Foster yelled. "Remember what the colonel said. We only observe. No interfering. Wait until he returns. Explain things to him. Let the decision be his."

Hochstetter didn't want to whip Hogan, and the new guard made sense. He dropped the whip on the floor, then walked out of the stall.


	8. Hold Fast

Chapter 8: Hold Fast

The stone walls echoed the crack of the whip. Hogan gritted his teeth and leaned his head against the wall. Hochstetter turned in surprise as the guard drew back the whip again. Hochstetter grabbed the whip, yanking it from the guard's hands.

"Why did you stop me?" asked the guard furiously.

"We wait for the colonel to get back. We have our orders. I am not going to jeopardize my chance to question Hogan." Hochstetter glanced at Hogan. Sadness filled him when he saw blood running down Hogan's back. "If I am lucky, the colonel will get what he needs from Lawrence and he will grant me some time alone to question Hogan."

Hochstetter was surprised when he was slammed against the wall. He was so concerned with helping Hogan, he didn't notice the colonel and his men were bringing Lawrence back to the barn. Fear overcame him as he stared the Gestapo colonel in the eyes. Was the colonel upset with him for showing mercy toward Hogan or for allowing him to be punished with out the colonel's say so? Hochstetter didn't resist the treatment. He allowed the whip to fall from his hand signaling his submission.

"What do you think you are doing, Major?" asked Carter, as he pinned Hochstetter to the wall. The fire from a nearby lantern reflected in Carter's eyes, making him more threatening than he was. Even though his face was lit, his back was to Hogan, making identification impossible. Carter's knuckles were turning white from the tight hold on Hochstetter's tunic.

"We… I was teaching Hogan a lesson in manners," stammered Hochstetter. "He was blaspheming the Führer." Hochstetter hoped by taking the blame for his guard's actions, his hesitation to defend the Fuhrer would go unreported.

Carter stared at Hochstetter. "Did I give you permission to do anything to him?"

"No, Sir," said Hochstetter.

"But Herr Oberst, you did not hear what he said…" defended the guard.

Both Hochstetter and Carter cut off the guard. "Shut up!"

"It is not your place to make such decisions. That is twice you have overstepped your bounds. Act again without my say so and whatever you do to a prisoner will be done to you. Because Weissmuller gave Hogan the poison, he almost ruined our chances with General Lawrence." Carter glanced at Hogan. "It appears the antidote has worked quickly on him. He seems to be stronger." Carter released his grip on Hochstetter. He sauntered to Lawrence's stall. "General, do you have any words of wisdom for Colonel Hogan?"

"Boat, tug-a-war and hot air balloon," responded Lawrence.

"What does that mean?" asked Hochstetter.

"General, this isn't the time for you to start your idiotic questions. Major, you wanted to know why I hate him. It's those questions of his. Every time I turn around he is there asking me a stupid question. If I didn't answer them he would punish me. I'm tired of it. I refuse to answer it. Good luck at punishing me for disobeying an order. I'm already in prison!" Hogan yelled.

"Just trying to get your mind off of things," said Lawrence, a little offended.

Heads turned when they heard a car skid to a stop. LeBeau rushed in. He came to attention in front of Carter, saluting. "Sir, the underground knows about the move and the safe house. We must move the prisoners."

"Where did you get this information?" asked Carter.

"Max at the Gugelhof asked me to meet him in the back room. There he told me he overheard some men talking just before I walked in, about making a rescue attempt at the safe house," answered LeBeau.

"Where will we move them to now? I say we set a trap. We are not cowards. The underground is no match for the Gestapo," suggested Hochstetter.

Carter stood in front of Hochstetter. "Are you now giving orders, Major?"

"Nein. I wouldn't dream of overstepping your authority again, Sir. I was merely making a suggestion," defended Hochstetter.

"Wipe the blood off Colonel Hogan's back and cover the wound. Help him get properly dressed. Then we will move out," ordered Carter, more to his men than Hochstetter's.

"Jawohl." Hochstetter motioned for his guard to remove the handcuffs.

After the handcuffs were removed, Hogan glared at Hochstetter and his guard. "I'm a big boy. I can dress myself." Hogan picked up his shirt.

"If you put your shirt on without covering the wound, you will not be able to take your shirt off later," said Hochstetter.

"You don't want me to get an infection and die before you get your wish is all," said Hogan.

"Hogan, the major is right. Let them cover it. That's an order," said Lawrence.

"Yes, sir," said Hogan, through gritted teeth.

Hochstetter was glad Lawrence got Hogan to cooperate. He watched the guard dip two rags in the pail of water with disgust. The last thing he wanted to do was render aid to the enemy.

How far could Hochstetter go to help Hogan without blowing his cover? He might have already crossed the line. He watched the guard wipe the blood away and put the damp rag over the wound. The guard removed Hogan's belt. He wrapped the belt around Hogan so it would hold the rag in place.

A grunt escaped Hogan's lips when the guard tightened the belt too tight. "Oops," the guard laughed.

After Hogan was dressed, the guard pushed Hogan against the wall as he replaced the handcuffs. "Since he is going a short distance, you may cuff his hands in the front," said Carter.

Reluctantly, the guard did as ordered. The problem was, they were too tight.

"Load them into the vehicles," ordered Carter.

Hogan's men wanted to be at Hogan's side, or at least inform him of their plan. Keeping their distance was torture. They feared if they were too close, it would be difficult to remain emotionally detached. One of them might lose his temper and kill Hochstetter and his guard. If they were killed, Hogan would be forced to leave Germany. Since Hogan was with the men when they were killed, the Gestapo would hold him responsible. If he was lucky, they would execute him on the spot. If he wasn't lucky… it was something none of them wanted to think about.

For now, they would be satisfied seeing Hogan act more like himself. Watching Hogan's strength return gave them strength to continue. Soon it would all be over and they could return to the safety of Stalag 13.

Hochstetter and the guard led Hogan out first. Carter, LeBeau, Christopher, Lawrence and Newkirk walked out last.

They were halfway to the vehicles when Lawrence grabbed Christopher's side arm from its holster. He pressed the barrel against Christopher's head. "Release Colonel Hogan. We are getting out of here."

Hochstetter turned to see what happened. In the darkness of night, it was difficult for him to see what happened. When he got a glimpse of a gun in Lawrence's hand, he forced Hogan to lie face down on the ground. Hochstetter pulled out his side arm and put it to Hogan's head. "Lower the gun, General. Neither you nor Hogan will escape."

"Shoot him, General, and Major Hochstetter will put a bullet in Colonel Hogan's head. You are in a no-win situation," said Carter.

Lawrence gave a slight nod toward Hogan. "At least he will be free."

There was a gunshot. Hochstetter and Hogan stared in amazement as Lawrence fell to the ground. Neither one expected this. They waited in anticipation as one of the guards checked to see if he was still alive.

Newkirk knelt beside Lawrence. He put his fingers on Lawrence's neck. He looked at Carter and shook his head. "He's dead, sir."

"No!" Hogan yelled. "You didn't have to kill him." Hogan bucked, trying to throw Hochstetter off of him. He was determined to make the person pay for killing his CO and friend. Hogan caught a glimpse of the guard's face Lawrence had held the gun to. Until now, he wasn't able to get a good look at any of his new captors. They were either out of his view or at an angle, which prevented him from seeing their faces.

Hochstetter didn't give Hogan a chance to discover if the glimpse he saw was one of his men or not. He flipped his gun around, hitting Hogan in the back of the head. Hochstetter believed if he didn't stop Hogan from getting up, Hogan would be dead as well. After holstering his gun, Hochstetter marched up the colonel. "Was it necessary to kill him? What will the Führer say when he finds out? He wanted him alive and unharmed."

"Tragic." Carter shook his head. "The underground would rather see him dead than give us any damaging information against the Allies."

"The underground?" Hochstetter questioned.

"Isn't that what you saw, Major?" Carter raised an eyebrow, signaling it would be in Hochstetter's best interests to agree.

"Ja, I saw a member of the underground kill General Lawrence," agreed Hochstetter. He threw his hands in the air in disgust. He wondered if London would hold Lawrence's death against him when they find out he was present when he was killed. Everything was falling apart. Every time he took a step forward toward redemption for his past, he was forced back three steps. "But, Colonel…"

Carter walked up to Hogan. "We will handle things from here. Don't worry. I will mention how cooperative you were." Hochstetter cringed inwardly hearing that. Just what he needed. If the Allies get a hold of the report, his goose would be cooked. "I don't see any further need for Colonel Hogan."

Hochstetter swallowed hard. Was the colonel suggesting he kill Hogan as well? "You want me to kill Colonel Hogan?"

Carter shook his head. "Nein. It is a good thing no one believes what prisoners say. Take him back to his cage. Let him live with the memory of watching his CO die. He better make it to Stalag 13 in one piece. I will know if you touch one hair on his head. After you return him to Stalag 13, you are not to bother him again. If I find out you have touched one hair on his head, I will make you regret the day you were born. Have I made myself clear? "

"Ja. Perfectly," answered Hochstetter.

The guard moved Hogan to Hochstetter's car and cuffed his hands to the bar. The men climbed into the car. The lights from the car faded in the distance as it drove away. Each man quietly wished Colonel Hogan luck and prayed for his safety.

HH HH HH

Klink ran out of the house after Hochstetter left. "I can't believe you killed him! Why did you kill him? I thought you were here to rescue him. And Hogan! How could you let Hochstetter drive away with him?"

In a swift movement, Newkirk had Klink pinned against a tree, with a knife to his throat. "What did you see, Colonel." Newkirk's voice told Klink what he should say.

"Nothing. I saw and heard nothing. If I wanted to betray you, I would have told Hochstetter about you. Your secret is safe with me." Klink tried to hide his fear as he stared Newkirk in the eyes. "I am tired of you threatening me. If this is how it is going to be, kill me now and get it over with."

Newkirk laughed as he lowered the knife. "You passed, Colonel. Just trying to build your courage is all. You can get up now, General."

Klink's mouth dropped as Lawrence started moving. "He's… But I thought… How did you… I saw him…"

"Our little secret. You all right, General?" asked Newkirk, brushing Lawrence off.

Lawrence removed the stove door from his back. He ran his fingers over the area where the bullet struck. "I'm glad your plan worked. I had my doubts though. It's a good thing your man is a good shot. Too bad we couldn't fill Hogan in on it. Why did you let Hochstetter take him away? You could have taken custody of him."

"Why did you change the plans?" asked Newkirk.

"Believe me, it wasn't easy. The problem is if we didn't let Hochstetter take him back to camp, we wouldn't be able to get him into camp. Because we have to leave these uniforms here, we wouldn't be able to use them to take him in. We can't take him back with us. We were taken to Berlin by Abwehr not Gestapo. It might arise suspicion," said Carter.

"Couldn't you at least send one of us with him like before?" asked LeBeau.

Carter shook his head. "I thought about that as well. Hochstetter might try to recruit him to work for the Gestapo in Hammelburg. It seemed to create more problems. I hope I scared Hochstetter enough to leave him alone."

Newkirk placed his hand on Carter's shoulder. "You figured all that out by yourself, mate?" Carter nodded as he wiped a tear away. "Andrew, my boy, I'm proud of you. I never thought about how we would have gotten the gov'nor into camp. I didn't think past getting the gov'nor away from Hochstetter."

"Sorry, I didn't think of it sooner when you were going over the plan," apologized Carter.

"Explains why you changed plans on us. The important thing to remember, Andrew, is you did think of it before it was too late. The gov'nor would even been proud," congratulated Newkirk.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" asked Carter.

"Sergeant, you did what you thought was best. What's done is done. It was difficult for me to stand by and watch them torture Hogan. There was a few times I wished I could have gotten my hands on a gun or something. I would have killed them all or died trying. Hogan is a good man and doesn't deserve this. The US and England owe him a great deal when he gets home. I'm going to make sure they give him, and the rest of you, everything you deserve," promised Lawrence.

A General's stamp of approval meant a lot to the men, especially Carter. The men would keep their worries to themselves. There was no sense to keep bringing it up or talk about how it should have been done differently. Like the General said, 'what's done is done'.

"I don't know about you, but I am ready to get back into my uniform and get home." Carter took off his mustache.

"I'm with you, mate. How do the Krauts stand these uniforms? They are tight in all the wrong places," said Newkirk, unbuttoning his tunic.

"I can't leave yet. I still have a mission to complete," said Lawrence.

Newkirk glanced at the other men, then to Lawrence. "What mission?"

"We came here… With everything that has happened, I completely forgot about my men!" exclaimed Lawrence.

"Most are fine, mate. Johnson didn't make it though. Of the ones who made it, we were able to get them to London," informed Newkirk.

Lawrence bowed his head and remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Thanks. We were here to pick up a defector. He has vital information, which could help the Allied forces win the war faster."

"What are we standing around here for? Let's go get him," commented Olsen.

"Oui. Anything to end this war faster," LeBeau said, cheerfully.

"Everyone willing to do this?" asked Newkirk. All responded by nodding their heads. "Well, General, it appears you have a team. Where does this bloke live and what does he look like?"

HH HH HH

Klink closed his eyes. _Great! I haven't recovered from the last mission and now we're going on another one? How do they do it? _Klink stretched and yawned. He glanced at his watch. _No wonder I am tired, it's 2200. Maybe I can get lucky again and stay here to get some sleep?_

Klink stared down the road Hochstetter's car drove down. He prayed Hogan's men did the right thing. There had to be another way to get Hogan back into camp besides with Hochstetter.

_I am glad they know what they are doing because I sure don't. _

He joined the rest of the men in the house as they prepared for their new mission. _Why couldn't Schultz have left me unconscious on the floor? I would have been better off._

HH HH HH

Hochstetter watched Hogan lay unconscious. His mind drifted to when he heard about Hogan's operation. Never in a million years would he ever dreamed it would have made it this far.

"_Are you insane? No one is unbreakable. He might be able to hold out for a while, but soon he will tell them everything he knows."_ Hochstetter never believed Hogan would be able to endure all he had.

Hochstetter felt sick to his stomach. He had caused Hogan more pain than anyone should be forced to bear. Now, more than ever, he wanted to confess everything to Hogan. More importantly, he wanted to beg for his forgiveness. Would Hogan be able to understand Hochstetter's reasoning and forgive him?

Shaking his head, Hochstetter knew the answer. If the roles were reversed, he doubted he would forgive the person, as well. The ends didn't justify the means. He would seek vengeance and make the person pay.

When the war was over, he knew Hogan would not rest until he repaid everyone who contributed to the scars he would forever endure. Chances were, his name was on the top of the list.

HH HH HH

Hogan let out a groan as he started to come around. He tried to move his hand to rub the back of his head but couldn't. The clank of the handcuffs hitting the metal bar reminded him where he was. A sharp pain shot through his head when he tried to lift it up.

He slowly turned his head to the side to look at Hochstetter. "How long have I been out?"

"Just over an hour," answered Hochstetter.

Hogan noticed Hochstetter studying him. "What?"

"I don't understand," said Hochstetter.

"Why are you studying me? Did I grow another head, or is there a horn growing out the back of my head?" asked Hogan, sarcastically.

"Nothing like that. You amaze me. You hate the man, yet you remain loyal to him. In the end, you were willing to risk your life to get to a dead man. I will never understand Americans. This erratic behavior, though, will be why the Allies won't win," said Hochstetter.

"Yes, he was a pain in the butt, but he was still my commanding officer." With his head turned to the side, he rubbed the knot on the back of his head. "Do you have any brothers or sisters, Major?"

"None of your business," answered Hochstetter, defensively.

Hogan chuckled. "I only asked to help with the example. Siblings can fight like they would kill each other. If someone else tries to hurt one of them, they form a temporary alliance to make the person pay. Once the outside threat is over, they go back to fighting amongst themselves. You can say it is like a love/hate relationship."

Hochstetter nodded his head. "I think I understand. Still doesn't make sense. Do you know this because of dealing with your siblings?" asked Hochstetter.

Hogan smiled. "Hogan, Robert E. Colonel in the…"

"Never mind," interrupted Hochstetter. "I have it memorized."

After a moment of silence, Hogan asked, "Why did you have to kill him?"

"I didn't kill him," Hochstetter defended. "In case you forgot, I was the one holding you down."

"You are part of the Gestapo and the Gestapo killed him," yelled Hogan, instantly regretting it. Then quieter, "Therefore, you killed him."

"You are confused because of the knock on the head. The Gestapo didn't kill General Lawrence. The underground did. They didn't want him to give us any information, so they killed him to keep him quiet," Hochstetter explained.

"Liar! That is something a Nazi would do." Hogan had fire in his eyes. He didn't care if his head felt like it was going to split open. He was tired of the mind games the Gestapo played on him. "Tell me this. Is he really dead or is this one of those fake deaths? You know, I am getting tired of this technique. You would think after they realized it doesn't work, they would stop using it."

"As far as I know, Colonel, General Lawrence is dead," admitted Hochstetter, with all honesty. "I give you my word; I had nothing to do with his death."

"For some reason, I have a hard time taking your word for anything." Hogan turned his head so he was staring at the floorboard. Right now, he wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, he couldn't. He wanted to mourn the death of his friend. He never really knew why he was here. If only he knew so he could complete the mission for him.

Hogan thought about the three words Lawrence said to him in the barn. _Boat, tug-o-war and hot air balloon._ All three things have an anchor. An anchor is used to hold something fast, or to keep it from moving. _He was telling me to hold fast. Help is either on the way, or here. But who, how, and when?_

Possibilities of how Lawrence knew this came to his mind. Could the Gestapo be members of the underground? Did someone mention it and he missed it? It was too dark for him to get a good look at any of the Gestapo agents. Even in the barn with the lanterns lit, he only saw the walls and the backs of the Gestapo.

Could the underground really have killed him to protect his secret? What was so important, it was worth his life?


	9. Confessions

AN: Thanks to all who have read and reviewed the story. A special thanks to my Beta reader.

Chapter 9: Confessions

Lawrence finished explaining where the defector, Captain Josef Fehler, lived, along with some other information so Fehler would know the men were there to help him. "Will you be able to remember all of the information?"

"Got it. You know, this isn't the first time we've done this," said Newkirk. "What's so special, besides him saving yours and the gov'nor's hides, we are risking our lives to get him out?"

"He came across information vital to the end of the war. He has a list of troop movements and strengths as well as other valuable military secrets," informed Lawrence.

"Wow! It could end the war in a few months," exclaimed Carter. "If not sooner."

"Now you understand why we have to get him out of Germany," said Lawrence. "If the Nazis discover he has the information they would not hesitate to kill him and change their plans. Right now we are hoping they are keeping quiet about losing the folder."

Olsen thought for a moment then asked. "Why would it be important to keep losing it a secret? You would think they would admit it so they could change their plans."

"Whose side you on, Olsen?" asked Foster.

"The reason the person isn't saying anything is out of fear of what would happen to him for losing something so valuable," responded Lawrence. "They are hoping to find it before it is discovered missing by someone else."

Newkirk walked up to Klink, staring him in the eyes. "I trust you. If you let me down, I will not rest until you're dead." Newkirk handed Klink his side arm back. "You are to protect General Lawrence with your life."

"You can count on me. I will not let anything happen to him." Klink beamed.

LeBeau leaned close to General Lawrence. In a low voice he said, "With luck, you still might live through it." Then a little louder he said, "Why don't the two of you eat before the soup goes cold." LeBeau retrieved the food he picked up in town from the truck. He handed the food to Lawrence.

Foster grabbed a sandwich. "If you don't mind, I'm starving."

"Me too!" the others agreed as each took a sandwich.

"If we are not back by morning, contact Max at Gugelhof. Ask him to tell you a story. If he tells you about the 'Three bears', he will give you further instructions. Tell him you need to call home." Newkirk wrote code words and frequencies on a piece of paper then handed it to Lawrence. "Destroy this after you have it memorized. Let them know to close up shop. Tell Max both of you need to leave Germany. He will arrange passage to London through the underground," Newkirk informed him in case something went wrong. "Kommandant, you will have to go as well. We cannot afford to leave you behind. You're one of us now. General Lawrence will testify to that."

Lawrence nodded his head. "I understand. Good luck and God speed. I only wish I was going with you."

"Too risky. Don't worry. We'll get him. Load up," ordered Newkirk.

Almost an hour later, Newkirk pulled down Klinglerstrasse. He stopped in front of house 79. "This is it. Doesn't appear anyone is home. Wait here." Newkirk climbed out of the truck. He walked to the door and knocked. No answer. Newkirk motioned for the others to join him. Before the others arrived, Newkirk had the door opened.

Once everyone was inside, Newkirk addressed the men. "Foster, move the truck around the corner and wait. We don't want to arouse suspicion. Olsen, keep watch out back. Christopher, position yourself across the street. If he runs, I want you on him. The rest of us will wait here for him."

The men left to do as ordered. LeBeau shut the door and locked it. They took seats and waited for Fehler to arrive.

Carter and LeBeau dozed off during the wait. The slamming of a car door woke the sleeping men. "Show time," whispered Newkirk.

Newkirk positioned himself behind the door. Once Captain Fehler was inside, Newkirk shut the door.

Startled, Fehler pulled his gun. Newkirk disarmed him before a shot could be fired. "Captain Josef Fehler?" asked Newkirk.

"Ja. Was ist los?" asked Fehler.

"Hans Schmidt sent us to get you for treason against the Third Reich," said Newkirk in German.

"Hans Schmidt? I do not know a Hans Schmidt," admitted Fehler.

"You met him in 1938." Newkirk hoped that was enough to jog his memory. He was running out of clues to say.

"I remember now. He was with a man named… named… Johann Muller. They were waiters at the Gugelhof. The Gestapo arrested them for treason. I don't understand. Why would he send you to get me?" inquired Fehler.

"He wanted to return the favor for saving his life. We must go before it is too late. Get the information," Newkirk opened the door. All was quiet. He motioned for Christopher to get Foster and the truck. "LeBeau, get Olsen."

Fehler glanced at the men running around his house. "Information? I don't know what information you are talking about."

Newkirk froze. Did he really expect Fehler to believe he was there to help him by saying a few key words? _If I had the kind of information he did, I would be suspicious too. _"Look, Captain, it is only a matter of time before the Nazis discover you have the documents and come looking for you. It would be in your best interest to come with us so we can get you to London."

"I think you are trying to trick me. I don't know what documents you are talking about. I would appreciate it if you left my house." Fehler opened the door, signaling he wanted the men to leave.

"We don't have time to play games with you." Newkirk slammed the door shut. "What will convince we are telling the truth?" Newkirk switched to English. "Do I sound like a bloody Kraut? London gave us orders to escort you a safe place until we can get you to London with the information. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"The accent could be faked," said Fehler flatly.

Newkirk threw his hands in the air. "I wish Papa Bear or Big Bird were here to convince you, but they're not. The Gestapo took Big Bird prisoner when he came here to get you. One of his men was killed. Papa Bear is on his way to Stalag 13. I respect both men and will not let them down." Newkirk lost his patience. He grabbed Fehler by the collar, shoving him against the wall. "Look into my eyes, then tell me I am still lying to you."

The tension in the air was as thick as the London fog. Each man stared into the other's eyes. Newkirk was determined to complete this mission. He preferred Fehler go with them of his own free will, but he would use force if he had to.

Fehler broke the silence. "I do not have the papers here."

Newkirk released Fehler. After taking a deep breath, "Will you take us to them?"

"Tell me Englander, what act of treason did Schmitt and Muller commit? Be specific." asked Fehler.

Newkirk thought a moment. "Leaking information about Case Green to England."

"I will take you to the papers," agreed Fehler.

With relief, Newkirk motioned for everyone to move out. They quickly loaded into the truck and drove off.

HH HH HH

"Didn't I see you in Gestapo headquarters earlier?" asked Lawrence.

"Ja," answered Klink, with his mouth full. He didn't realized how hungry he was until he smelled the food.

"Are you one of them, or a real Kraut?" asked Lawrence.

"I am a real German officer. I am Colonel Klink, Kommandant of Stalag 13, where these men call home," answered Klink.

Lawrence took a sip of soup. "So why you helping them. What happened to the oath you took and all? What about the allegiance you pledged to Hitler and the whole master race horse puckey?"

"I took an oath to Germany, not Hitler. I hate everything he stands for and everything he has done to my country. I want this war over. Many close friends of mine have disappeared because they disagreed with Hitler, or spoke their minds. One of them I knew since we were kids. I did some searching into his disappearance and was appalled at what I found. I feared it would be just a matter of time before I was next. So I keep my comments to myself. Like many other Germans, I go along with what the Fuhrer says for survival. If the Nazis win the war though, I fear many other people will end up like my friend. I don't want that to happen. I decided helping Papa Bear was the best way to prevent the Nazis from winning, and to end the war sooner," Klink admitted.

Lawrence sat silent. Shock of what Klink said was evident in his face. "I just thought…" Lawrence didn't finish his sentence.

"You thought everyone in Germany was a Nazi who supported Hitler. In the beginning, Hitler was not evil. He promised us many good things. However, he got greedy. He demanded absolute loyalty to him and him alone. He abused his power to feed his greed. The good things he gave us came at a price; our freedom. Too many of my countrymen live in fear. There are some who have chosen to fight against the Nazis, but not enough to make a difference. Those who do fight, do what they can. Most will only fight as long as it's safe for them to." Klink sat in silence as he remembered the past.

If it hadn't been for what few connections his family had, he would have been stripped of everything and sent to the Russian front. He was grateful his name was remembered when the kommandant position at Stalag 13 opened. It probably saved his life.

The two men ate in silence for a few minutes. Lawrence spoke up. "I'm sorry. I never understood how bad things were over here. I guess our propaganda lies about the news like yours does. How long have you been Hogan's jailor?"

"Almost three years. It is hard to believe it has been that long since he first came through my gates. When I saw his two inch thick folder, I knew I was going to have trouble with him. Sad part is he could have at least tried to prove me wrong. Why you ask?" inquired Klink.

"The two of you think a lot alike. I heard Hogan yelling something similar, when the men were taking me back to the barn," said Lawrence.

"Hogan discussing politics with Hochstetter? I never heard him discuss politics with anyone before? Not even with me" said Klink in amazement.

"Hochstetter made him pay for his comments. When we walked in, Hochstetter was whipping him," said Lawrence.

Klink flinched. "I have told him time and time again to keep his mouth shut. Some day it is going to get him into trouble and he will not be able to talk his way out of it."

"You really do know Hogan." The two men laughed at Lawrence's comment.

"I take it he irritated you with his, what do you call it, smart mouth?" asked Klink

"He sure did," laughed Lawrence. "So tell me, why he would risk everything by telling you his secret?" asked Lawrence.

Klink fumbled with his spoon. He wondered how Hogan would react to finding out he knew his secret. All he could do was pray his actions proved his loyalty. Klink hung his head in shame. In the past, he divulged all he knew to save his hide. He never stood up for anyone before. No doubt it will be a concern of Hogan's. Klink faced Lawrence. "He didn't tell me. He doesn't know I know."

"You are worried about how he will react?" Klink nodded. "If his men trust you, and he trusts his men, then he should trust you as well," stated Lawrence.

Klink sat in silence for a moment. "I don't exactly have a good record of keeping secrets. I have been known to tell all I know to save my neck. I fear what the Gestapo would do to me. Hochstetter has been looking for any reason to arrest me and take over Stalag 13. I have seen true courage through Hogan and his men. I am tired of living in fear. I want my country back. I don't want an active part in the operation. I only want to make things easier for Hogan and his men to do their job. I know if I am in any danger, Hogan will find a way to get me out of it. He always does." Klink went silent again.

"You're afraid of what will happen when he's not there to rescue you, or decides you are a liability?" Klink nodded. Lawrence knew what he was thinking scared him. If he knew it, could the Gestapo or Burkhalter figure it out also? He wanted to be as brave as Hogan and his men, but he didn't know if he could. When sitting in the safety of his quarters, it was easy to say he could be as brave as Hogan. If he sat all alone in a Gestapo cell, it might be different.

"Since I know Hogan pretty well, take my advice. Be honest with him. Prove to him you are a changed man. He doesn't take loyalty lightly. You prove your worth to him and he will stand beside you to the end," assured Lawrence.

Klink nodded in agreement. There was much truth in what Lawrence said. He would make Hogan proud of him. "I will do that. Tell me about the Colonel Hogan he doesn't let anyone see."

"Sorry, Colonel, privileged information," Lawrence said with a smile.

"At least you didn't quote name, rank and serial number," said Klink.

"Lawrence, Richard, A. General in the US Army Air Corps…"

Klink waved his hand at Lawrence. "Oh, shut up. Sir."

HH HH HH

Newkirk followed Fehler's directions to the documents. They stopped at an old church that had been destroyed in a bombing raid. Fehler and Newkirk walked through the ruins to the altar. Along the way, the men stepped carefully. The last thing they wanted to do was take a wrong step and either bring the ruins down on top of them or to fall through the floor. In the darkness, Newkirk sensed the area where the altar was, was completely destroyed. As he walked closer, he tripped over larger pieces of rubble. He wanted to turn on his flashlight, or light a match. Anything so he could see where he was going. He didn't for fear it would attract unwanted attention.

"I hid it in the compartment where the sacraments were kept." Newkirk kept watch as Fehler felt around for the compartment. "Found it." When he opened the compartment, the documents were just as he had left them.

"Grab them and let's go," ordered Newkirk.

As they headed back to the truck, they heard a noise. They were not alone in the church. The two men froze in place; neither daring to breathe. Quietly, Newkirk removed his side arm. He aimed it in the direction of the noise.

The clouds covering the crescent moon above moved, allowing its light to illuminate a small portion of the church.

They heard rubble moving. Newkirk knelt on one knee behind a pew. He took careful aim. He stopped himself from shooting when he saw a cat climb over the rubble with a rat in its mouth.

Both men let out a sigh of relief. "Bloody cat. Let's get out of here before something else shows up," said Newkirk, holstering his gun.

"Agreed." Fehler patted his pocket where he put the papers. "Englander, promise me something."

"What?" answered Newkirk.

"If I am caught with the papers, please do not let them take me alive," asked Fehler.

Newkirk couldn't blame Fehler for the request. He could only imagine what the Gestapo would do to one of their own who turned traitor. "I won't let it happen."

Fehler smiled in relief. "Danke."

HH HH HH

Lawrence and Klink had fallen asleep in the living room while waiting for the men to return. Lawrence and Klink woke when the front door opened. Klink jumped to his feet, spinning in circles, trying to un-holster his gun.

The men laughed at the sight. "Relax, Kommandant. It's just us," said Newkirk.

When Fehler saw Lawrence, he froze. Lawrence walked up to Fehler, coming to attention. "I never did thank you for what you did for us." Lawrence gave Fehler a crisp military salute.

A smile appeared on Fehler's face as he returned the salute. "It was my pleasure. I don't understand though, your uniform?"

"It's a long story. I suggest we get everyone back to Stalag 13 before they are missed," suggested Lawrence.

The men went upstairs to change into their uniforms. They hung the Gestapo uniforms neatly back in the closet. Teppel arranged for the uniforms to be there, he would have them picked up.

A short time latter, the men came down the stairs. Fehler stared in amazement at the Allied uniforms. "All of you are with the Allies?"

Newkirk shook his head. "Colonel Klink is Kommandant of Stalag 13. He's a real Kraut."

"Newkirk!" yelled Klink, stomping his foot.

"Well, you are," said Newkirk, innocently.

"I'm tired. You might be used to staying up for days on end, but I'm not. Can we discuss this on the way home?" suggested Christopher.

"Oui. I am tired, also." LeBeau stretched and yawned.

"Sergeant Christopher, give Captain Fehler your rifle. Captain, you will ride in the back with the prisoners, pretending to be guarding them. Corporal Newkirk, you will ride up front with me. I am afraid when we get close to camp, I will have to handcuff everyone again," ordered Klink.

The men groaned in response.

Newkirk turned to Klink. "You know, Kommandant, if I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to take over this mission."

Klink shrank back. "I… I… I'm sorry, Newkirk. I didn't mean anything by it. I was only making a suggestion…."

The gang laughed. Klink stood stunned. He realized Newkirk had been joking with him. Newkirk put his arm around Klink's shoulder. "If you can't stand up to me, how do you expect to stand up to the Gestapo?"

"I am hoping to avoid that situation if all possible," said Klink.

"We'll do our best to help you avoid it as well. Load up, men. Let's go home," ordered Newkirk.

HH HH HH

Surprisingly, Hogan didn't feel like talking any more. He wondered why Hochstetter didn't take advantage of his moment of weakness to quote Nazi rhetoric to him. Kick him when he's down type of thing.

Was Hochstetter giving him his space? It wasn't like Hochstetter to care about anyone's feelings. He wasn't happy unless he was making someone suffer. The more a person suffered, the more he enjoyed it.

Hogan leaned back, trying to stretch his muscles. When Hogan's back touched the back seat, he jerked forward from the sting. He had forgotten about the lashing he received. Someday, he would make Hochstetter pay for every scar and broken bone he had received at his hand.

_The lashing though_. Hogan thought back to the scene. _Hochstetter was fighting with the guard. The guard had whipped me, not Hochstetter. Why would Hochstetter not do it himself? Why was he angry with the guard?_ _What did I say in there? Oh, right. I talked about King Bubble Head. Why am I having a hard time remembering what happened?_

Thinking some more, Hogan couldn't figure out why Hochstetter would have been afraid of the colonel. He would have been justified in punishing him for speaking out against Hitler. Letting the act go unpunished should have been a bigger worry. If the guard tells Hochstetter's superiors he allowed someone to go unpunished who spoke out against Hitler, he'd be seriously reprimanded.

_Why am I so worried about what happens to Hochstetter. Why should I care if he gets in trouble for not punishing me when he had all rights to_? _"_Why?" Hogan asked softly.

"Was?" asked Hochstetter.

Hogan didn't realize he said it loud enough for anyone to hear. He quickly made up a reason for him to say "why" and maybe get a few answers of his own. "Why me?"

"Why you what?" responded Hochstetter.

Facing Hochstetter, Hogan asked, "Why is it I am your number one suspect whenever something happens. If I could get out of camp to commit acts of sabotage, why would I come back to camp, subjecting myself to torture anytime the Gestapo, or some other Nazi, got the urge to pick on a prisoner to make himself feel better?"

Hogan watched Hochstetter squirm as he answered the question. "You have a way of knowing what's going on when no prisoner should. You don't act like an ordinary prisoner. You act like you are hiding something."

"You pick on me because I am the only person you haven't been able to gain any useful information from. Admit it. You're obsessed. Why don't you let it go? I know your lack of convictions in the sabotage raids have to be leaving a bad mark on your record. Have you ever considered the reason I don't tell you anything is because there isn't anything to tell? The Allies know any time they send a squadron out, there is a chance some will not make it back, and some will be captured. The people who go on bombing missions are not privy to important information for that reason. Everything is on a need to know basis," stated Hogan.

"You have something to tell. Someday, you will tell me," threatened Hochstetter. "If things would have worked out differently back there, I would have asked the colonel for permission to question you alone. No one to witness the brutal tactics I used to beat a confession out of you. No one there to intercede on your behalf. Before I finished with you, everything would be revealed." Hochstetter paused. He glanced at Hogan out of the corner of his eye. "Since it didn't work out as I had hoped, I am fine where I am at."

_I am fine where I am at._ Kewpie had said those words during their meeting. Hogan couldn't figure out why Hochstetter would use the same phrase now. Was he telling him something, or just content to wait? Did Hochstetter know he would have the opportunity to get his wish to question him alone? _Stop reading more into it then is there, Rob. There is no way Hochstetter could be Kewpie. Maybe he was at the barn and overheard everything? Yeah, right. That's as absurd as Klink working for the underground. If Hochstetter was there, he would have gotten his wish before now._

"You are nothing but a bunch of sheep? All you know how to do is whatever someone over you tells you to do. There will always be someone around to witness what you do to me. Don't forget. Even the Gestapo have to abide by the Geneva Convention." Hogan flinched as he tried to bring his arm down to hold his now-sore side. It surprised Hogan to see a look of regret on Hochstetter's face. Did Hochstetter regret the jab he delivered to his side?

"We are not sheep. We chose Hitler to lead us. We choose to fight the Allies. We choose to fight to increase our country. We choose to fight for our pride and for future generations. We were perfectly happy with the way things were here. We want our country to be strong. Those who are lazy or weak deserve to be dominated or wiped out. It's survival of the fittest," defended Hochstetter.

"That theory is fine when you are talking about animals, but not humans. Everyone can contribute something. Everyone can be useful. Everyone can be taught how to be productive." argued Hogan.

"Pull the car over." Once the car stopped, Hochstetter un-holstered his gun, pointing it at Hogan. "Most of this trip has been pleasant. I am tired of arguing politics with you. Normally I can't get you to talk. Now, I can't get you to shut up. We each have our own reasons for believing the way we do, but neither one of us is going to budge on those beliefs." Hochstetter put the gun to Hogan's head. "You have a couple of options. I can kill you and write it off as shot while trying to escape. Or I can let you ride back to camp in the trunk?"

"Is there a door number three?" asked Hogan, trying to hide his fear by making light of the situation.

"As long as I don't hear another sound from you, you can ride in the car. You make a sound before we get back and I will make you finish the trip in the trunk. What is it going to be?" asked Hochstetter.

Hogan didn't want to die this way, so he dismissed the first option. His ego, what was left of it, would not allow him to enter camp in the trunk. Would his mouth allow him to do option three? "I'll be quiet."

"Gut! Drive on." Hochstetter re-holstered his gun.

Hogan watched Hochstetter nervously. Klink had been right in his warnings. Most of the time, his mouth got someone out of trouble. Recently, it had done nothing but get him into trouble.

"I think you should have shot him," mumbled the driver.

Since Hogan was going to be quiet, he decided to take advantage of the time and get some rest. He laid his head on his hands and thought. He heard a saying once, 'We never are who we were, but who we will become.' Since he had started down the road of recovery from being broken, he desperately wanted to be the person he once was. He had made some progress, but he still wasn't there. He doubted he ever would be. He realized the old Hogan was gone. Only the new Hogan remained.

Hogan stared out the window. When he got back to camp, he should write a letter home for Lawrence, but he didn't know who to write it to. His parents had been dead for two years. There were no siblings Hogan knew of. No spouse, or even a girlfriend. What a lonely man Lawrence must have been.

A thought occurred to Hogan. How did Weissmuller make the connection between he and Lawrence so fast? Even if they had a mole in London, it was less than a day after being shot down. Hogan hadn't officially served under Lawrence's command in almost ten years. Their mission in 1938 was never made official, so there would be no record of it. It would have taken time to cross-references everyone who served under Lawrence and the entire list of POWs to see if there was a match. It could only mean one thing.

Hogan shook his head. Lawrence would never have mentioned he knew Hogan. Someone else would have had to make the connection, but who? Hogan glanced at Hochstetter. Hochstetter would have good reason, but how would he know? There was no mention of Hogan's military history in his files.

He quickly dismissed his men mentioning anything. Hogan only mentioned Lawrence to Kinch. Kinch would never betray him. He trusted him with his life and command.

Could he have said something during the brainwashing process? No, impossible. Isn't it? He wished he could remember everything they had done to him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. _Why wouldn't Kewpie give me any information about when they tried to brainwash me? Did the Nazi's make any progress? Did I say anything or do anything treasonous? _

Why was he arguing politics with Hochstetter? Was he trying to convince Hochstetter to see the bigger picture? Or was he trying to convince himself the Nazis had not made any progress with him when they tried to brainwash him?

He was tired of trying to answer questions with no answers. After a yawn and stretch, he drifted off to sleep.


	10. Returning

Chapter 10: Returning

The car pulled into camp sometime after midnight. The driver opened Hochstetter's door first, then Hogan's. He undid one cuff, yanking Hogan out the door with force. Hogan wasn't able to keep himself from falling. All his weight landed on the leg he was shot in when he and Christopher tried to get Wright out of Germany. Wilson told him the bullet nicked the bone, causing a small fracture. Even though the wound has healed, the muscles are still weak.

Hogan glared at the guard, trying to hide his discomfort. The guard laughed. "Oops."

Hogan slowly stood, but said nothing. _One of these days, oops, I put a bullet in your head. _

Gritting his teeth, Hogan limped behind Hochstetter to the Kommandantur. "Who is in charge when Klink isn't here?" yelled Hochstetter

Huffing and puffing, Schultz entered the room. "Herr Major… I didn't expect anyone… to be visiting… at this time of night." Schultz smiled when he saw Hogan leaning against the wall.

"Bah! I'm returning Colonel Hogan." Hochstetter handed Schultz the paperwork for him to sign, accepting transfer of Hogan. "The Gestapo is finished with him, for now."

Schultz happily signed the paper. "There you go, Herr Major."

Hochstetter yanked the papers from Schultz's hand. He paused before he left the room. Turning toward Hogan, he said, "Mind your leg, Hogan," and walked out the door.

Hogan's mouth dropped open. Was it a coincidence he used the same words as Kewpie again? Maybe, but not likely. If Hochstetter was Kewpie, why did he always try to prove Hogan was Papa Bear?

Hogan's mind raced, trying to make sense of the possibility. Was it the drugs still in his system clouding his reasoning, or the bash he received on the head, or did it simply not make sense? Could Hochstetter be a double agent, working for both the Allies and Nazis? Could he have met with Hochstetter that night in the barn and Hochstetter didn't arrest him because… because why? He wanted to get more evidence against him? Discover how he was able to get in and out of camp? To test him if the brainwashing took? He may have dismissed his line of thinking from earlier too quickly.

"Colonel Hogan, is there something wrong?" asked Schultz

"Hmm? Uh… no. Why do you ask?" asked Hogan.

Schultz stared at Hogan's shirt. "Colonel, do you need to see the medic?"

"I'm just a little banged up. Nothing a hot shower and a long nap won't cure," answered Hogan.

"But Colonel, the blood on your shirt is fresh." Schultz pointed to the fresh bloodstains on Hogan's shirt.

Hogan looked down. When the guard yanked him out of the car, he must have reopened some of the wounds. "I'll be fine."

"Schultz, why was Hochstetter here? Colonel! You're back!" Kinch exclaimed, walking into the room.

"Good to be back, Kinch." Hogan smiled. Everything was going to be fine. It gave him comfort knowing Kinch was keeping any eye on things, even at this time of night.

"Sergeant Kinchloe, please talk some sense into Colonel Hogan. He needs to see the medic and he won't go," pleaded Schultz, pointing to his shirt.

Hogan zipped his jacket. "I will be fine. Just some scratches."

"I'll take him to the infirmary. Just make sure the guards know we can be out walking around." Kinch headed to the door. "Coming, Colonel?"

"The only place I am going is to my room and to bed." Hogan walked out the door.

"After a trip to the infirmary. We need to talk any way." Kinch steered Hogan toward the infirmary.

Schultz stood on the porch, signaling it was okay. A searchlight followed the two men to the infirmary.

Hogan took a deep breath. He was too tired and sore to argue. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could get to bed. When the two men walked into the infirmary, Wilson was waiting for them. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told you were injured," answered Wilson. Hogan tried to walk without limping, but it was too painful. "If you would have taken my advice, you would not be limping now."

"I tried to stay off of it like you said. The Gestapo had different ideas though." Hogan sat on the table. _That guard will pay for this._

"Besides your leg, what else is wrong?" asked Wilson.

"Nothing," Hogan said, as innocently as he could.

Kinch stood behind Hogan, pointing to his chest. Wilson reached for his stethoscope. "Open your jacket and unbutton your shirt, Colonel."

"Why? The problem is with my leg," said Hogan defensively.

"I hear some wheezing," Wilson lied. "This will only take a minute."

Hogan glared at Kinch, knowing he tipped Wilson off. "You caught me." Hogan took off his jacket and shirt.

"How long were you plan on hiding these." Wilson pointed to the injuries.

Hogan shrugged. "I was hoping until after the war."

Wilson grabbed his supplies. "Why is your belt…" Wilson walked around Hogan "Oh. I see. What did they use?" Wilson carefully undid the belt. As gently as he could, he removed the blood soaked rag.

"A nail," said Hogan through gritted teeth. "And a whip."

Wilson shook his head at Hogan. Hogan's only response was a shrug. "Sit up as straight as you can. I will get this over with quickly."

While Wilson was cleaning the wounds, Hogan decided to take his mind off the pain by talking with Kinch. "Kinch, where are the others?"

"You didn't see them in Berlin?" asked Kinch with worry.

"I saw the Gestapo, Klink and General Lawrence." Sadness overcame Hogan as Lawrence's death replayed in his mind. "One of the Gestapo agents, though, sort of reminded me of Christopher."

"It probably was Christopher." Kinch shook his head and paced. "I got a call from LeBeau earlier. He said they had you and General Lawrence. How could you have not seen them?"

"Hochstetter didn't let me see much once we left Gestapo Headquarters. A Gestapo colonel and his men said the underground was planning a raid on the headquarters and we had to be moved to another location. I figured the Gestapo got wind of a rescue attempt. Between the poison Weissmuller gave me, being locked in a stall with high sides, and very little light to see by, I didn't see much." Hogan instinctively jerked away from Wilson as he cleaned the wound.

"Those Gestapo men were our guys. We had Teppel arrest them and haul them to Berlin for questioning. Unfortunately, Klink decided to go with them. You said you saw Klink?" inquired Kinch.

Hogan nodded. "Yeah. He talked Weissmuller out of turning me into a Colonel-kabob. He rambled about these tactics not working in the past. He diverted everyone's attention to Hochstetter to back up his story. Then he said I told him about Tom tickling me until I gave him what he wanted. I never had a conversation like that with Klink. I can't figure out why he would lie for me?"

"He told them what?" exclaimed Kinch and Wilson.

"Why would Klink make up a story like that?" asked Kinch. "Didn't he realize how much trouble he could've been in?"

Hogan shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm glad though. Klink distracted Weissmuller long enough to cause him to lose interest. You realize Weissmuller didn't stab me at random…"

"He stabbed you where it would cause the most amount of pain with the least amount of damage," finished Wilson.

"You mentioned Weissmuller gave you some poison? Do you know what kind?" asked Kinch.

Hogan tilted his head to stare at Kinch. "What's with the twenty questions?"

"Sorry, Colonel. I just wanted to know what happened and if we… if you… or he…" Kinch couldn't finish the sentence.

"If we talked?" Hogan finished. He shook his head. "No. We need to radio London, informing them Big Bird was killed before completing his mission," said Hogan somberly.

"What!" exclaimed Kinch. "How did that happen? The last word I got was the guys had you. Both of you were okay."

Hogan stared at the wall behind Wilson as he continued to clean the wounds. "He grabbed one of the Gestapo agents, took his gun and put it to his head. He threatened if we were not released, he would kill him. Hochstetter had me on the ground. It was too dark to see a great deal. I heard a gunshot and saw General Lawrence fall to the ground. Another one of the Gestapo agents confirmed he was dead. Hochstetter told me the underground killed him to keep him quiet. Are you sure it was Christopher I really saw?"

"Yes. Chances are he isn't dead. Faking his death was the only way to get him here and out of Germany without anyone looking for him. How many times have we faked a death to keep the Krauts from looking for the person we are trying to get out?" asked Kinch.

Hogan turned his head to face Kinch. Hope flickered in his eyes. "Are you sure they were our men?" Between the poison and the mind games, he wasn't sure what to believe.

Nodding, Kinch answered, "Yes, Sir." Kinch paused a moment before he asked his next question. "Colonel, are you sure you are all right? It isn't like you to not be observant."

"I think it is a combination of the poison, antidote, and the lack of food and sleep that is affecting me. I should be fine once the poison is out of my system." Hogan stretched and yawned. "And get some sleep. Do you have an ETA of when the guys will be back?"

"Poison!" Wilson and Kinch exclaimed.

"What kind of poison? Kinch get on the radio to London and …" Wilson was cut off.

"Hold it! This is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you would over react." Hogan waited for Wilson and Kinch to stop grumbling before he continued. "I am fine now. Hochstetter gave me the antidote. Nothing to worry about."

"You still haven't answered my question. What kind of poison was it?" asked Wilson.

Hogan shrugged. "I don't know exactly. All I know is it's experimental." Hogan scratched his head. "I think it causes pain, confusion and memory loss. I am having a hard time remembering the details."

"Kinch, make sure he is under constant watch. I want to know if his condition worsens," Wilson ordered.

"No, problem," answered Kinch.

Hogan rolled his eyes. "I told you I am fine."

"Precautions," answered Wilson.

Hogan watched Wilson walk over to the medical cabinet. When Hogan saw the needle in Wilson's hand, he moved away from him. "What's that?"

"Penicillin. It's all I have at the moment to help you fight any infections," said Wilson.

Before Hogan could protest or move farther away from Wilson, he stuck the needle in Hogan's arm. "Ouch! That hurt."

Wilson and Kinch both stared at Hogan in amazement. "After all you've been through, you complain about a little needle?" asked Kinch.

"Never mind. Back to my original question. Do we have and ETA on when the men will be back?" asked Hogan.

Kinch nodded. "LeBeau said tomorrow morning." After glancing at his watch, he amended, "make it later today."

Wilson put the finishing touches on Hogan's leg. "I suggest you get some rest. Colonel, if you don't listen this time, I will put you in a cast and strap you to the bed. This isn't a threat either. It's a promise."

"Like I said, blame the Krauts. Can I go now?" asked Hogan.

Wilson nodded. "As long as you are going to bed."

Hogan put his shirt and jacket on. He slowly stood up. "I think you put the bandage on too tight around my leg."

"Would you prefer a cast?" said Wilson with a cocked eyebrow.

"On second thought, it's just fine." Hogan walked with some help from Kinch. He didn't need the help. He hoped it would help keep him out of trouble with Wilson.

Kinch helped Hogan out the door. Once outside, Hogan stood without Kinch's help. "I want to know the second anyone comes in the gate or a message comes in."

"I have Baker monitoring the radio tonight, while I monitor the compound. We have everything covered," informed Kinch. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Kinch, have I told you lately how proud I am of you?" asked Hogan.

"Just doing my job, Colonel," answered Kinch.

"Ever thought about becoming an officer?" inquired Hogan.

"Why the punishment? I thought you were proud of me?" laughed Kinch. "Good night, Colonel. Get some rest. Oh, I almost forgot. While you were gone, we had three truck loads of new prisoners come in. I handled the arrangements. I'll go over them with you later."

"How many prisoners does that bring us up to?" asked Hogan.

"1700 and some change," answered Kinch.

"That is a lot of prisoners for only 82 guards," said Hogan.

Kinch help up his finger. "Make it 125 guards. More came in with the prisoners. Most of them were injured in combat. The Krauts are using them to replace Stalag guards who are able to fight in combat."

Hogan pinched the bridge of his nose. "This camp was only designed to hold 1500 people maximum, including guards. I guess I will have to talk Klink into allowing us to turn the Rec Hall into a barracks or build some more. Thanks, Kinch."

"Um, Colonel, the Rec Hall is where I put the men I wasn't able to put in barracks. It was either that or the cooler," said Kinch.

"You mean to tell me we are out of beds?" asked Hogan. Kinch nodded. Hogan stared at the spare bed in his private room. "If you bunk in here with me, it will free up one more bed."

"I'll think about it. Get some sleep, Colonel," said Kinch as he left.

HH HH HH

Kinch was honored Hogan offered the bed to him. He couldn't take it though. The privacy of the room was all Hogan had to help him maintain sanity and the only place he could go for a short vacation.

Glancing around the room, Kinch though about how they might be able to arrange the barracks to accommodate more people. Every way he thought of, something to do with the operation prevented it. Whether it was the location of the tunnel entrance or the hiding place of secret documents, more beds wouldn't fit.

_The operation_. With the demands of camp life as well as the demands of the operation increasing, he didn't know how much more Hogan could take. Hogan was a strong man, but everyone has their limits. _I will have a private talk with the men to head off any camp problems. Sorry, the operation problems are yours._ Kinch glanced at Hogan's door._ Rest well, Colonel. This war will be over with some day._

HH HH HH

The drive back to camp seemed to take forever. The men in the back of the truck slept while Newkirk kept Klink awake. Klink did most of the talking. He talked about the glory days of the First World War and Germany's proud past.

Newkirk found Klink's stories incredible. He never suspected Klink of doing some of the things he said he did. Then again, he probably stretched the stories to impress him.

Not once did Klink mention anything about the mission, how he discovered Hogan was Papa Bear, or their involvement. He never mentioned why he wanted to help them. It bothered Newkirk as to Klink's real motive. This type of behavior was not normal for someone who would turn his mum in to keep from getting sent to the Eastern front.

Newkirk figured the only way to get answers was to ask. "Kommandant, how long have you known about us and Colonel Hogan?"

"All is quiet. Must be a slow night for the war," Klink said, ignoring Newkirk's question.

"You didn't answer my question, Kommandant." Newkirk stared at Klink, waiting for an answer.

Klink quickly glanced at Newkirk. "I had my suspicions when Koch took Hogan from camp. I read the transcripts from the interrogations. I was appalled at what they were doing. At the time, I was too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"It doesn't explain how you knew about the gov'nor. If he talked during the interrogation…" Newkirk was cut off.

"He didn't." Klink said quickly. "No smart answers either. He only said his name, rank, serial number, and begged for your lives."

Newkirk shifted uncomfortably. He stared at the dark sky as the nightmares of the interrogation flooded his mind. It was the only time he ever saw Hogan beg. Usually, anytime Hogan wanted something, he manipulated the person into seeing things his way. That time there was no manipulating. The pain they were inflicting upon him by forcing him to watch the men closest to him tortured was greater than anything else they could have done to him.

Koch didn't want any military secrets. All he wanted was for Hogan to admit he was Papa Bear. He didn't care or have any proof of it being the truth. Koch only wanted to succeed where Hochstetter failed. Hogan knew if he admitted anything, Koch would demand to know everyone connected with the underground. Then the cycle would continue. He would make Hogan and everyone involved with the underground pay dearly. He wouldn't let Hogan see death until he had watched the collapse of the entire underground network.

It was a hard choice for Hogan to make. Save the men closest to him and sacrifice the entire underground or sacrifice the lives of his men to save the underground. Newkirk was glad he wasn't in Hogan's position. He knew he would've broken long before Hogan did.

Klink broke the silence. "I wonder what made them change their mind and reassign Colonel Hogan from Stalag 1 to Stalag 13? I was surprised when Colonel Geiger brought him back to camp1."

"What? Right. It was a surprise to us also." Newkirk faced Klink again. He was thankful for being brought back to the present.

"At first I had my doubts he would ever recover. Very few have. I knew if anyone could recover though, it would be him. I was glad when he started to make progress. I guess it's a good thing he's stubborn and doesn't give up easily." Klink glanced again at Newkirk, to see if he was listening. "I believe the bond he has with his men helped as well. As for me finding out about his secret, for some reason, after the cave in, everything started to make sense. For once, I saw things as they really are.2"

Newkirk knew the question he had to ask, but was afraid to. After a moment of talking himself into it, he asked, "Kommandant, how are things going to change now at camp?"

Klink slammed on the brakes, shifting everyone. "How…why… what makes you think things will change?"

"What happened?" came a groggy voice from the back.

"Nothing. Deer crossing the road. Go back to sleep." Newkirk lied. A few minutes later, when Newkirk thought everyone was asleep, he continued. "I want to make sure you're not going to do anything to make our job harder."

Klink shook his head. "I vowed to do whatever it took to help get that maniac out of office. I will do what I can to make your job easier, without looking obvious. I will have to maintain discipline at camp and act like I am in control still. Besides, if the Gestapo ever found out, your lives are not the only ones in danger."

Newkirk nodded in agreement. "Kommandant, are you planning on telling the gov'nor when we get back? I know he will want to talk with you about our new arrangement."

Keeping the operation a secret from Klink took priority on Hogan's list. Newkirk broke it to save their life. It was a risk he had to take. London gave them a job to do. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Besides, Klink had approached him for help.

How would Hogan react? Would he kick him off the team for this? Newkirk hoped not. He loved working with Hogan and the other men. If Klink got scared enough and started to hint or ramble about the operation, Hogan would hold him responsible.

_Don't worry gov'nor, if he breaks my trust, I will accept full responsibility and correct the problem._ Newkirk glanced at Klink. _Don't let me down, Colonel._

"What will you do if the Gestapo show up, pressing for answers about the sabotage activity? Can you come up with a convincing lie to cover for us in case we are not there or get caught out of camp?" asked Newkirk.

"They already think I am an incompetent fool. I will continue to act the part." Klink stared ahead when he answered "I will do my best to cover for you. Remember though, I have to run the camp as if there is nothing going on. I don't want to draw attention to it by changing the way I run things. If it involves more than me discovering it, for example, late to morning roll call, I will have to treat it as an escape and punish the person when they are caught."

Newkirk saw the regret in his eyes. Was it for having to act like a fool or having to punish the men when he didn't want to? For the first time, Newkirk realized Klink wasn't a fool. He figured out enough to make him dangerous. As for being a coward, it took courage to interrupt a Gestapo interrogation. Klink's courage had grown tremendously in the past day. With a little help, everyone might make to the end.

Newkirk thought back to the first time he was caught outside of camp because he didn't follow Hogan's orders. He had never been so scared in his life. Not even when he was shot down. When he was shot down, he had the Geneva Convention to protect him. Now, the Geneva Convention would not protect him because he was a spy.

He sat all alone in his cell with nothing to do but listen to the screams of people being tortured and to think about what will be done to him. He didn't know if he was more afraid of being tortured or letting Colonel Hogan down. How long would he be able to last before he gave up the operation?

It took all his self control to not jump up and down for joy when he saw Hogan in a Gestapo uniform standing in the door way. He wanted to give Hogan a big hug as a thank you, and then buy him a beer at the Hofbrau.

That night, he learned a valuable lesson. Be careful. Don't get cocky. Never let your guard down. Most importantly, Hogan has your back. Colonel Hogan was the first officer he respected. It wasn't because of his rank. It was because of his character. He would not ask someone to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. If it was too dangerous, he would only risk himself.

Newkirk thought back to the first time Hogan had earned his respect and when he first referred to Hogan as gov'nor.

"_Do you still have problems taking orders from an officer, Newkirk?" asked Hogan after he freed Newkirk from the Gestapo._

_Newkirk shook his head. "Gov'nor, I would follow you into Hell and back. Just say the word."_

Now there was another officer to add to the list; General Lawrence. He's a tough officer, but straight forward. Newkirk believed deep down, Lawrence helped make Hogan the man he is. The bond the two men shared was amazing. Sure the core group had a close bond. Everyone worked together like the fingers of a hand. None of them had a bond that strong.

Newkirk watched Klink drive in silence. Oddly enough, another officer was creeping onto his list. It is the last person he would have suspect of being on his respect list; Colonel Klink. In the last little bit, Klink earned himself some respect. If he stayed true to his word, Newkirk might even consider giving him a salute. _Yeah, right. I don't even salute the gov'nor._

None the less, Newkirk had learned everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves. Newkirk stretched as he repositioned himself. "You know, Kommandant. You're not too bad for a Kraut, I mean German. Sorry, old habits are hard to break."

Klink laughed at the comment. "You're not to bad for an Englander. Did I ever tell you the story of a girl I dated once from England?"

Newkirk rolled his eyes. _Aren't we there yet? Help me someone. Please._ For the lack of anything else to do, he answered. "No, sir. You haven't"

Klink smiled. "I met her while I was attending the Gymnasium…"

1 Broken by Nitestalker

2 Brainwashed by Nitestalker


	11. Nightmares

Chapter 11: Nightmares

Chapter 11: Nightmares

A smile appeared on Newkirk's face as the scenery looked familiar. They were on the outskirts of Hammelburg. Klink turned down the road leading to Stalag 13. When they were a mile from camp, Newkirk broke the silence. "Kommandant, pull over."

"Why? We're close to camp," asked Klink.

"You can't go into camp with the prisoners unchained. Your orders, remember." Newkirk jumped out of the truck and headed for the back, where Klink followed. "Klink, start cuffing everyone. Olsen, hide the packages."

"Packages? What packages. Wait. I already know." Klink turned his back to Olsen, Lawrence and Fehler.

Olsen motioned for the two men to follow him as he led them through the woods. Reluctantly, the rest of the men held their hands for Klink to cuff them to the seat. When he was finished, he turned to Newkirk. "How long do we have to wait for Olsen?"

"Hard to say. It depends on if he decided to site see or stop at the Hofbrau on the way back," answered Newkirk sarcastically. "You see, there is a pretty little frauline who works there…"

"Enough!" Klink rolled his eyes. "Why did I bother to ask? All you had to do was give me an estimated time. I don't want to know any more than I have to." Klink yelped when Olsen jumped into the back of the truck. "Why must you sneak up on a person like that? I ought to have you thrown into the cooler for that."

"Sorry, Sir," Olsen apologized. He took his seat and waited for Klink to cuff his hands.

"And your reason behind sending him to the cooler would be?" asked Newkirk.

"For sneaking up on me. What better reason do I need?" asked Klink.

"You see, Kommandant, if you do that, then you have to explain why you were in a position for him to sneak up on you. It will be a snow ball affect," explained Newkirk. "You might have to look the other way more than you think. Better do a better job of thinking a head."

"I'll try. Is there anything else or can we return to camp now?" Klink looked at his watch. "You have an hour and a half left to sleep before roll call." Klink's comment was met with moans and grumbles. "I can't change my routine. I will do my best to keep everything as close to normal as possible. Well, normal for this camp at least."

Klink and Newkirk walked to the front of the truck. Newkirk stared at Klink after he sat in his seat. "I guess we might live through this war after all."

"If you don't, it won't be because of anything I did. I want to maintain some degree of plausible deniability." Klink started the engine and drove toward camp.

HH HH HH

"Nein!" Hogan yelled in his sleep. "Ich heiße Johann Muller. Ich bin ein Kellner am Gugelhof. Sie müssen nicht mich peitschen. Ich sage die Wahrheit."

Kinch heard Hogan yelling and ran in to see what was wrong. He was surprised to hear Hogan dreaming in German. What Hogan was saying didn't make any since. As far as he knew, Hogan had only been to Berlin twice and neither time as Johann Muller or as a waiter at the Gugelhof. _What was it he was trying to convince whoever of as being the truth so they wouldn't whip him?_

There was a light tap at Hogan's door. Kinch turned to see Baker standing in the doorway. Kinch walked into the common room, shutting Hogan's door behind him. "Yea, Baker?"

"Olsen just delivered two packages. The men should be in camp any minute," informed Baker.

"Thanks. Wait a minute. Did you say two packages?" Kinch inquired.

Baker nodded, "Yea, Olsen said it had something to do with General Lawrence's mission."

Kinch shrugged. He would figure it out later. First things first. Why was Hogan dreaming in German? Kinch walked into Hogan's room.

Hogan continued. "Nein. Ich bin ein loyaler Deutscher. Ich bin nicht ein Traitor. Nein, bitte. Nein!"

Kinch noticed tears streaming down Hogan's cheeks. The anguish on Hogan's face broke his heart. He shook Hogan's arm lightly. "Colonel. Wake up, Colonel. The men will be back any minute."

"Was?" came Hogan's groggy voice.

"Olsen delivered two packages. The men will be back from Berlin any minute." The sound of truck brakes told Kinch they were back. "Sir, the men are back."

Hogan opened his eyes. "Kinch?" Hogan sat up slowly. "What happened?"

_That's what I want to know. _"A truck just pulled into the compound."

"Is it the guys?" asked Hogan with concern. The barrack's door opened. Voices could be heard coming from the common room. There was a knock at the door. "Come in."

The team from Berlin entered the room. "Look's like you are feeling better, gov'nor,  
commented Newkirk.

"Amazing what some sleep can do. How did everything go?" asked Hogan.

Newkirk answered, "Piece of cake, gov'nor. We were able to get you, General Lawrence and Fehler out in one piece."

"Who's Fehler?" asked Hogan.

"According to General Lawrence, he's some bloke who has sensitive information, which could help end the war sooner and he saved your hides way back when," answered Newkirk.

"Is General Lawrence all right?" asked Hogan with hesitation.

"Right as rain. Sorry we couldn't tell you the plan. We wanted to, but Hochstetter never gave us the chance. Did everything go alright on the way back to camp?" asked Newkirk. "We're sorry we had to send you back to camp with Hochstetter. At the last minute, Carter realized if we took control of you, we wouldn't be able to get you back into camp without people asking questions."

"You made the decision on your own, Carter?" asked Hogan.

Carter nodded. "Yes, sir. I didn't have time to tell everyone so I made the decision. Did I make the right one? I know now if we did take control of you, you would have come up with a plan, but I just didn't know…"

"Carter, you did well. I am proud of you for making the decision. You have come along way from the timid, naive young man I first met. I'm impressed with the way you handled Hochstetter in the barn, but did you have to give him permission to shoot me?"

"Gee, Colonel. General Lawrence wasn't going to do anything to cause Hochstetter to shoot you. We had to make it look realistic," said Carter.

Hogan was silent for a moment. He started to get out of bed. "I'm going to check on General Lawrence."

Kinch put his hand on Hogan's shoulder. "Colonel, he's probably sleeping. Do you really want to disturb a sleeping general?"

The worried look on Hogan's face wasn't lost on Newkirk. "Colonel, you didn't really think we would kill him, did ya?"

"The colonel didn't know it was you guys. He thought you were real Gestapo agents. Hochstetter told him the underground killed General Lawrence," Kinch answered.

"Us!" exclaimed Carter. "How could you not recognize us?"

Kinch glared at Carter. Hogan answered his question though. "Between Weissmuller's hospitality, poison and lack of lighting, I wasn't sure what was going on. If you were the underground he was referring to, I didn't think you would kill him, but I wasn't sure. London might have ordered it."

"You can't be serious. Orders or not, we wouldn't kill one of our own without a good reason," answered LeBeau.

"Orders are a good reason," said Hogan testy.

"If London would've ordered you to kill him to keep his secret quiet, could you?" asked Newkirk.

"If I was ordered to, to protect the country, yes." Hogan raised his hands, signaling all to stop talking. "This command doesn't come easy. My job is to make the difficult decisions and perform the difficult tasks. If I let my feelings about someone control my actions, this operation wouldn't survive. If it ever comes down to killing someone, to protect others or to help end the war sooner, do it No matter whose side they're on." Hogan bowed his head. "Even if it's me."

"You can't be serious. We would never do that," said Newkirk. "London would be balmy to ask such a thing. You're too important."

Hogan stood. "That's exactly why if it every came down to it, you do as ordered. Would you rather I am in such unbearable pain I start naming names, military strengths and tactics or every thing else I know? What if I was the one the Nazis brainwashed instead of Wright? We talk about how we would never break and could withstand everything the Nazis can through at us. It's easy to say when you are not being tortured. But when you are in such pain you pray for death, giving them what they want seems like a pretty good option."

"Colonel Hogan is right. We follow orders no matter what. We have to keep the big picture in mind. There are things about this war, bigger than us," said Kinch in support.

"Lets all pray the war ends before receiving such an order," said Christopher.

"We have some time before roll call. You men look beat. Get some shuteye. We'll talk more after roll call." Hogan lay back down as everyone left the room. Everyone except Kinch. "Yes, Kinch?"

"Colonel, there is something I need to ask you." Kinch waited for the nod to tell him to continue. "Who is Johann Muller?"

"Why do you ask?" inquired Hogan.

"When I came in here, you were dreaming in German. You said things…" Kinch couldn't continue.

"I said those things out loud?" Hogan said, shocked. "Have a seat." After Kinch was seated he continued. "My first spy mission was in 1938. The US had heard many rumors about Hitler. They wanted someone here to see if there was any truth to them. General Lawrence and I were volunteered for the mission. Our job was to gather information only."

"Sounds simple enough," commented Kinch.

"That's what we thought. Either we messed up some where, which we don't think we did, or there was a leak who informed Hitler, information about his plan had gotten out. One night, the Gestapo entered our flat and arrested us for treason. I tried to convince them I was a loyal German and not a traitor. My undercover name was Johann Muller. Does that clarify things for you?" asked Hogan.

Kinch nodded. It also explained where the scars he saw when he first helped Wilson doctor one of Hogan's wounds, came from. "Did you ever discover who the leak was?"

"No, never did. After we recovered from the third-degree interrogation session with the Gestapo, General Hammond chewed our butts out for messing up on an important operation. Then he thanked us for the information we got."

"I didn't think they started the third-degree interrogations at the jails until 42? In 38, I thought third-degrees were only used in concentration camps. Were you sent to a concentration camp?" asked Kinch

Hogan cocked an eyebrow. "How did you know it was only used in concentration camps at that time? It's not supposed to be public knowledge."

"You forget, I monitor the radio. I heard a couple of men talking one time. From what I could make out, the one man use to flog the prisoners at Flossenburg." Kinch noticed how uncomfortable Hogan appeared. "Colonel, I didn't mean to imply anything or bring up bad memories. I just…"

Kinch could tell he had hit a raw nerve with Hogan. True to Hogan's nature, when you start talking about something he doesn't want to talk about, he changed the subject.

"Don't apologize. If I heard one of you saying the same things, I would question it also. Since the ordeal with Wright, I think we need to question abnormalities more. If I do anything out of character, I want you questioning it. Just because I'm the CO doesn't mean I'm more immune than any of you," said Hogan with a fake smile.

"Will do, Colonel. See you in an hour." Before Kinch left the room, he glanced at Hogan again. _Colonel, how do you keep going with all you have been through?_

With most people, Hogan was good at hiding his true feelings. Kinch had been good friends with him along time and was able to see his true feelings. Kinch didn't understand everything written between the lines, but he read enough to know Hogan was scared.

Twice did Hogan refer to acting different. _What if he had been brainwashed _and _if I do anything out of character._

Realization dawned on Kinch. His eyes went wide. Was Hogan telling him what he thought he was telling him? His heart stopped at the possibility. Was Hogan saying the Nazi's had brainwashed him and he should keep a close eye on him?

HH HH HH

It seemed no sooner Hogan had closed his eyes, Schultz was yelling for roll call. He stretched his stiff muscles. He was still sore, but doing much better. He joined the rest of the men in formation.

"Report!" yelled Klink as he took his place before the prisoners.

With a smile, Schultz announced, "All present and accounted for."

"It is good to see all my prisoners where they should be. Let this be a lesson to you. Don't do anything verboten and you have nothing to worry about. Colonel Hogan, I want to see you in my office in an hour. Dismissed." Klink quickly turned, heading back to his office.

Hogan made his way to the tunnels after roll call. He wanted to see for himself Lawrence was okay. Once in the tunnels, Hogan saw Lawrence and Fehler sleeping on the guest cots. Hogan did a double take at Fehler. "It's him!" Hogan quietly exclaimed. Even though Newkirk said he had saved his life once, he still couldn't place him until now.

His mind drifted back to his last round of his third-degree interrogation from the Gestapo. Despite everything the Nazis did to get Hogan to change his story, nothing changed. He tried to supplicate his way out of it, but no use. Kinch had been right. At the time, third-degree interrogations were reserved for concentration camps. Unfortunately, the man in charge of interrogating them was in charge of third-degrees at Sachsenhausen. Very few survived the session without braking. Hogan believed the reason they tried so hard to get information out of them was because they already knew the story Hogan and Lawrence had given was false. The only way they could know that was because of a leak.

Fehler had been the only Gestapo officer who believed Hogan's and Lawrence's story. Hogan remembered seeing him come into the Gugelhauf just about every day after work. It wasn't until he caught up with Lawrence again he learned Fehler had faked Lawrence's death so he wouldn't have to face the flogging.

During the flogging process, Fehler was responsible for keeping track of how many lashings Hogan received from the cat-of-nine-tails. Even though Hogan was in excruciating pain, he noticed how Fehler kept distracting his tormentor and would skip a few numbers. That small task is probably what saved his life. By the time the count had reached into the thirties, Hogan was ready to tell them everything he knew and admit he was a spy. At least he didn't have to deal with any lingering pain after being executed.

To his relief, the doctor had raised his hand to stop around forty. His tormentor stepped back as the doctor felt Hogan's vitals. That had been the last thing he remembered. He woke up a week later in a London hospital with Lawrence at his bedside.

The creek of the cot brought Hogan out of his thoughts. Fehler had woken up. "It's you! I should have known when I saw the general you wouldn't be far away." Fehler stood. "I'm glad to see my efforts weren't wasted."

"I never got a chance to thank you. Why did you believe me back then?" asked Hogan.

"It wasn't so much me believing you. It was more not agreeing with what they were doing to the both of you. My only regret is I couldn't have done more. At the time I didn't understand why they didn't believe you and why they were so persistent. Now I understand," answered Fehler

"Whatever the reason, thanks. I hear you have information, vital to the war effort," said Hogan.

"Ja. I walked into a conference room and found a folder under the table. I looked around and saw no one, so I glanced at its contents. I'm tired of this war and the suffering of innocent people. I decided to get this information to the Allies. There was someone in Berlin I suspected of being a member of the underground, but I kept it too myself. I let him know what I had. The deal was I leave Germany with the information," informed Fehler.

"Now I know why General Lawrence is here," said Hogan.

Fehler laughed. "It appears I'm always helping you."

"But this time, we're helping you also," answered Hogan.

"What does a general have to do to get some breakfast around here?" asked Lawrence.

"Sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to wake you," Hogan apologized.

"Sure you did or you wouldn't have done it. I think you go out of your way to irritate me," scolded Lawrence.

"I think I have earned the right," said Hogan with a grin. "In case you've forgotten, you're a pain in my leg, chest, arm…"

Lawrence cut Hogan off. "Okay. How about we call it even?" He smiled and stuck out his hand.

Hogan returned the smile, accepting his hand. When Hogan grabbed Lawrence's hand, he pulled Hogan close to him, giving him a hug. "I'm glad to see you, but next time, we meet someplace less hostile and that's an order."

"An order I don't mind obeying." Hogan turned, hearing footsteps behind him. His men figured it was time to see what the plans were to get the men to London.

"I guess I taught you something after all. You have a good group of men here," Lawrence praised.

"Thank you, Sir. I couldn't have asked for a better group," said Hogan.

"I couldn't help but notice though. When the men were not acting as Gestapo, Corporal Newkirk was the one giving the orders," commented Lawrence.

Hogan chuckled. "I don't run this camp according to military standards. We are informal here. I don't look at rank, but ability. Just because I'm a colonel, it doesn't mean I'm the most capable person to lead a mission involving placing explosives on a bridge." Hogan put his arm around Carter. "Carter here is my explosive expert. He is the one I would place in charge and take orders from. When it comes to cooking, I burn water. Corporal LeBeau is an expert French chef."

"The military is going to be in trouble when you get home. If it is up to you, you'd have a private running the Pentagon," laughed Lawrence.

"If they're the best person for the job…" Hogan left the rest of sentence hanging. Everyone laughed.

"Speaking of food, how about that breakfast?" asked Lawrence, rubbing his growling stomach.

"Right away, General." LeBeau said, making his way to the ladder.

"Newkirk, I have been meaning to ask you. How did you get away from Klink in Berlin to get us out?" asked Hogan.

Newkirk lowered his head. This caused Hogan to worry. "Sir, we…I had no choice. I made the decision I thought was right."

Hogan closed his eyes, praying Newkirk wasn't going to say what he was thinking. "What happened?"

"Colonel, he knows about you. He approached me with the information and wanted to help get you out," admitted Newkirk.

"How on earth does he know!" yelled Hogan.

"He had his suspicions for a while. Trusting him was the only way to get the both of you out. If anything goes wrong with Klink, I accept full responsibility and will correct the problem," admitted Newkirk

"Even if it costs the lives of the underground and this operation?" Hogan asked with irritation. "What guarantee do we have he wont talk?"

"He gave me his word," answered Newkirk sheepishly.

"That's just great! You take the word of a coward who'd sell out his mother to keep from getting transferred to the eastern front," yelled Hogan.

"Hold on Hogan," interrupted Lawrence. "From what I've seen, you have taught these men well. From what I've heard, Newkirk didn't make this decision lightly."

"With all due respect, Sir, let me handle my own men." Everyone could tell Hogan was holding back and not saying everything on his mind. "You have no idea what we go through here. What it's like day after day, wondering if the wrong person will talk or if this operation will be discovered?" Hogan paced. "The Gestapo could walk in here and kill us all because they feel like it. There is no one to stop them. You have seen how these people don't give a rat's tail about the Geneva Convention. They will write it off as shot while trying to escape or something like that."

Lawrence unbuttoned his shirt, exposing the scars on his chest. "Don't tell me I have no idea. Did you forget what happened when the Gestapo arrested us for treason? Do you think you were the only one they tortured? I know exactly what is at stake." Lawrence buttoned his shirt back up.

"What?" questioned Carter.

"Later Carter. Colonel," Kinch interrupted. "Klink knows the risks. His life is in as much danger as ours if the Gestapo discovers he knows. He saw what they were doing to you, and still waltzed in there to give you a break. He had many opportunities to turn everyone in while you were there and didn't. To me, that doesn't sound like a person who will easily fold. I placed Newkirk in charge when they got to Berlin. I would not have done so if I didn't trust his judgment."

"I talked with Klink as well. I believe he is genuine," said Lawrence. "My advice is to give him a chance to prove himself."

Hogan hung his head in shame. He let his emotions control him again. Everyone was right. He trained his men well and trusted them with his life. Maybe it was time to trust his men's decisions. "No, I haven't forgotten about 38. Lately, that's all I think about. I'm sorry. Newkirk, I should've trusted your judgment. I know you wouldn't have included Klink if you didn't trust him."

"Apology accepted," smiled Newkirk.

"Speaking of Klink, don't you have a meeting with him?" asked Carter.

Hogan glanced at his watch. "I'm afraid we will have to continue this later. Now I get to see if Newkirk's gut is right."


	12. Private Hogan

Chapter 12: Private Hogan

Chapter 12: Private Hogan

Hogan slowly walked across the compound to Klink's office. His body was still sore from the abuse it had taken, especially his leg. He paused a moment when he entered the outer office, staring at Helga. Hogan leaned against the door jam, enjoying the view. One of the best perks of being the senior officer was getting to see Helga.

"You're back!" she said excitedly, running up to him. "I never thought I'd ever see you again."

"It's going to take more than some uppity Gestapo officer to keep me away. You look lovelier than ever," said Hogan.

Helga turned away blushing. "The Kommandant is waiting for you. You better go in before he gets angry."

"Now why would he be angry?" asked Hogan, trying to get as much information as possible.

"He was not happy when he got back this morning. He is never in a good mood when he goes to Berlin. Please, don't say anything to upset him," begged Helga.

"Who me?" Hogan asked innocently. "I wouldn't do anything of the sort. Has he made any phone calls today?"

"No, why?" asked Helga.

"No reason. Maybe later I can take you up on the lunch you promised me1." Hogan gave her the smile that caused her to melt.

"Maybe," she cooed.

As much as Hogan hated the idea of spending time with Klink instead of Helga, he had to know if the operation was safe. Hogan knocked on Klink's door and waited.

"Come in, Hogan," yelled Klink.

Hogan walked into the room. "How did you know it was me?"

"I could hear the flirting all the way in here. Besides, I told you to see me in an hour. Have a seat, Colonel." Klink sat quietly for a moment. "I imagine you have had time to talk to your men. I made sure the Geneva Convention was obeyed at all times during their questioning."

Hogan nodded his head, knowing Klink was staling. "I appreciate it, Kommandant. You informing me about the fairness of their questioning isn't why you called me in here is it?"

Klink stood and paced. "This is just as awkward for me as it is for you. I gave Corporal Newkirk my word and now I'm giving it to you. As an officer and a gentleman, I give you my word your secret will stay safe with me."

Hogan remained silent for a few minutes thinking about how he wanted to handle this subject. "Why did you tell them the lie about me being ticklish? If they didn't believe you and suspected you were a collaborator, do you have any idea what would've happened?"

"I do. The blood running down your chest and the hot poker in Weissmuller's hands made everything perfectly clear. I had a job to do though and was determined to do it." Klink hung his head somberly. "I'm a man of my word." Klink looked Hogan in the eye. "I made a vow to get Hitler out of office, even if it meant helping Papa Bear."

"How did you make the connection?" asked Hogan, feeling vulnerable.

"I didn't at first. Not even when I made the vow. For some reason lately, everything has started to make since to me. The only reason why I haven't turned you in is because I want to help the Allies win. I want Germany back. I know if there is ever any doubt as to my loyalty, you or one of your men will not hesitate to kill me. Corporal Newkirk pointed it out earlier." Klink rubbed his neck where Newkirk had put his knife blade.

"Sounds to me there's a chance you could get killed by one side or the other," said Hogan thoughtfully.

Klink nodded. "Ja, but at least with you, I don't have to worry about being tortured first. At least I hope not. I hope you would give me the courtesy of killing me quickly."

Again, Hogan sat in silence. Klink seemed so sincere. Could Klink, a man who shrank when anyone threatened him, be trusted to keep this secret?

"Colonel, I know you have your doubts about me. I don't want to be active in your operation. I'll do what I can to make your job easier. I don't want to know any more than I have to. After this meeting is over, we never have to speak of it again. From now on, we act as we did before or…" Klink paused a moment. Hogan watched Klink open the top drawer of his desk, removing his gun. He laid it on the desk. "If you don't believe me, kill me now. If I have to die by the hand of the Allies, I'd rather it be yours."

Hogan stared at the gun lying on the desk. Everything had been different since Koch took him. He was now snapping at his men. Questioning their judgment. Now, he had Klink saying he wanted Hogan to kill him if he didn't trust him. What had this war come to?

Yes, he had been through a lot. He had every reason to be angry. Newkirk took a big gamble on Klink. When had Newkirk ever lost a bet? Never, unless it was intentional. He couldn't let what he'd been through affect his judgment. More than ever now, he wanted to be the man he was before.

Hogan stood, picking up the gun. He saw the fear in Klink's eyes and smiled. He handed the gun to Klink. "Not today, Kommandant. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'll trust you as you trust me." Hogan held out his hand, sealing their agreement. "I give you my word, if your loyalty is ever questioned, I'll handle it humanely."

Klink, in shock, quickly put the gun away and shook Hogan's hand. "I know I've been a coward in the past, but I promise you, I won't let you down."

"I hope not. Both of our lives depend on it." Hogan gave a more formal salute and left.

HH HH HH

Hogan entered the tunnels in time to hear the men talking with Lawrence.

"I'm glad Colonel Hogan doesn't do stuff like that with us," commented Carter. "I might be tempted to switch sides."

"Oui. I think I might try to escape," added LeBeau.

"What would make you escape?" asked Hogan, walking into the room.

"I was telling the boys how I used to aggravate you by asking you all those questions and riddles," said Lawrence.

"Colonel, I'm glad you don't make us do pushups when we don't do things right. I haven't had to do a pushup in so long, I don't know if I can still do one," said Carter.

"The way the gov'nor's mind works, I bet he didn't have to do any pushups," added Newkirk.

Hogan sat on a vacant crate grinning. "LeBeau, is there any food left or did Big Bird eat it all?"

"I saved a plate just for you. I told him orders or not, I would save you some food." LeBeau handed Hogan a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and potato pancakes. "I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee." LeBeau filled a cup, handing it to Hogan.

Lawrence knew Hogan wouldn't admit to his men, his faults, so he took it upon himself to enlighten the men. "He did more pushups than you think."

"Impossible. Not our colonel," said Christopher.

"How many pushups are we talking about?" asked Newkirk. "A dozen or two?"

"None of your business," said Hogan with a mouth full of food.

Lawrence laughed. "Let's just say, if you added up all the pushups he did, it was the equivalent of doing non stop pushups for a week. You know, there was one time he refused to do any pushups."

"I don't think they need to hear that story," said Hogan.

Lawrence grinned. "Sure they do."

After wiping his mouth, Hogan stood. "I think I'm going to finish breakfast in the privacy of my room."

"You will sit down and that's an order." Lawrence pointed to the seat.

With disgust, Hogan sat back down. "Yes, Sir."

"Hogan, like many young captains, enjoyed spending his free time at the local bar, flirting with girls," started Lawrence.

"That's our gov'nor," laughed Newkirk.

Lawrence continued. "Also like many other people there, he had too much to drink. I decided to see how quickly his mind worked when he was drunk. I walked up to Hogan and demanded he answer one of my questions."

"What was the question?" asked Christopher.

Lawrence glanced at Hogan. "Remember, Hogan?"

"You make your questions hard to forget." Hogan took a sip of coffee before he asked the question. "You have a three and five gallon container. There is an abundant supply of water. You need exactly four gallons."

The men scratched their heads, trying to come up with the answer.

"What if you filled the five gallon container three quarters full?" asked LeBeau.

"Won't work mate. You're only guessing where the three quarters mark is," Newkirk pointed out.

"How about we fill the three, empty it into the five. Fill the three again and only pour one gallon into the five?" asked Christopher.

Hogan shook his head. "Sorry. You are still guessing about the one-gallon. You were close though."

Kinch moved his finger in the air, doing imaginary calculations. "I've got it. Empty a full three-gallon into the five. Fill the three, finish filling the five with the three, leaving one gallon in the three. Empty the five. Place the one from the three in the five. Fill the three again. Pour it into the five. Thus giving you four gallons."

Lawrence clapped. "Congratulations, Sergeant. You answered the question faster than Hogan did."

"How long did it take the Colonel to answer the question?" asked LeBeau.

"Two days," answered Lawrence with a smile. Everyone laughed.

"Colonel, did you have to do pushups for the entire two days?" asked Carter.

"You know Carter, I'm glad you asked. No, he didn't do any pushups. After I asked him the question, he told me to buzz off," informed Lawrence.

The men looked at Hogan in shock. They never expected Hogan of talking back to a superior officer. "So I was a little drunk," defended Hogan.

"I wouldn't qualify you as a _little_ drunk. I threw him on the floor and told him to start giving me pushups. He had the gall to stand up and tell me to do them myself. He started to walk away from me. When I stopped him, he threw a punch almost sending him to the floor again." Lawrence paused while the comments died down.

"Drunk wasn't the word for it. No matter how much I disliked my CO's, I never tried to punch them," stated Newkirk. "So what did you do to him? I mean, you don't seem like a man who'd let anyone get away with something like that."

Lawrence smiled. "I grabbed him by the collar and drug him back to camp. I called formation an hour earlier the next morning. I made sure everyone knew whom to thank. I walked up to Hogan and smeared some mud on his uniform. After chewing him out about the dirty uniform, I made him take his shirt off. It so happened I had a spare uniform shirt. Hogan, would you care to inform them what was on the shirt?"

'Not really. I think I'm going to get a refill on my coffee," answered Hogan.

"Sit down!" ordered Lawrence. "I think it would sound better coming from you. Don't you think?"

"You're enjoying this too much," stated Hogan. Lawrence nodded. "It had my name on it and a single stripe." Hogan said the last part so low no one understood what he had said.

Lawrence put his and to his ear. "I don't know if it is my old age or what, but could you repeat that last bit a little louder?"

"I said it had a single stripe," said Hogan, loudly.

The men laughed histarically. Some were falling out of their chairs while others held their sides and bent over. Newkirk laughed the hardest. He held his sides as he rolled on the floor. After he caught his breath, he said. "I would've given my right hand to have seen that."

"It could be arranged starring Private Newkirk." Hogan knew all this teasing was in good fun and a way to relieve stress after a dangerous mission. His men needed to relax and have fun every once in a while; even him. However, he wasn't use to someone ordering him around and revealing personal information about him.

"I didn't think you could get demoted like that," asked Carter.

"You can't. All my paperwork still said Captain Hogan. It was just within the unit I was known as Private Hogan. General Lawrence would block every effort for promotion to major until I worked my way back up to captain according to his standards. Thankfully, it wasn't as hard or as long as it had been the first time. You know, General, I won't always be in this camp."

"True. But you will always be my subordinate." Lawrence's comment caused everyone to laugh harder.

Hogan decided to pour himself another cup of coffee and sat down. The men could see the famous twinkle in Hogan's eyes. Each wondered what Hogan was thinking. They calmed their laughter, in hopes of hearing what come back he had.

"That may be true, Sir. But you're forgetting something; you owe me," grinned Hogan.

"Owe you? I think we're even now," exclaimed Lawrence.

Hogan sat in a thoughtful manner. "We were until now. By my calculations, you now owe me two. Do I have to remind you what has happened over the last few days?"

Lawrence stared at Hogan. "I can see one, but not two."

"One for enduring Gestapo hospitality because of you and two for my men rescuing you. If you want to get technical, three for completing your mission. Do I need to keep going?" Even though Hogan was drinking his coffee, everyone could see the grin on his face. He was the only one they knew who could get the upper hand on a superior officer and get away with it.

Lawrence shook his head and threw his hands up in surrender. "Great Scott, Hogan. If you kept going, I'd owe you into the next war. I have one question that has been bugging me for the last ten years, why were you on the phone the day I caught you instead of cleaning the latrine?"

Christopher couldn't hide his amusement. "Colonel Hogan on latrine duty. That must have been a site."

"I can arrange it so you can reenact it for us," said Hogan. Looking back to Lawrence, "I called my dad to liquidate my savings to save your parents house." Hogan looked at his cup. He wondered why, Lawrence never asked him about how he knew about his parent's house or how he was able to get the deed.

_Christmas, 1934…Captain Hogan walked through the deep snow in Black Rock, Connecticut, to a small house. He knocked on the door. Colonel Lawrence opened the door._

"_Why, Hogan! What a surprise," exclaimed Lawrence._

_Before he could get another word out, Hogan handed him an envelope. "Merry Christmas, Sir," and walked away._

_Lawrence opened the envelope and pulled out a document that had "Deed" written on it. _

As if reading Hogan's mind, Lawrence asked, "You were only a captain then, how did you get enough savings to save my parents home? For that matter, how did you know about the situation?"

"I came to your office to give you the answer to your stupid question. I didn't think it would give me my bars back, but maybe at least off of latrine duty." Hogan paused as the snickering died down. "I overheard you talking of the phone. My parents used to live in Black Rock. As a matter of fact, they knew your parents."

"I'll be. All this time, I thought you had called someone to get the answer to my question," laughed Lawrence. "That still doesn't explain why you would liquidate your savings when there was a depression going on?"

"It isn't something I like to talk about, but you deserve to know. My dad, in his younger years, went to California to 'sow his wild oats' you might say. He won a track of land in a poker game. He decided to check out his property. On it he discovered a cave. Not too far into the cave, he tripped over a rock. When he picked it up, he noticed it was much heaver than it should be. He lit a match and the rock gave off a yellowish glow," said Hogan.

"You mean to tell me your pop found a chunk of gold?" asked Newkirk with his eyes getting wide.

Hogan's eyes twinkled, as he answered, "Not just a chunk."

"Who would have thought, our Colonel Hogan was rich?" commented LeBeau.

"Funny, you don't act rich. Did you have servants and live in a mansion?" asked Carter.

"No, nothing like that. We lived in an average home. Dad invested the money in different areas, mostly land. The rest he used to help others. During the depression, many people needed help. He helped as many as he could. I was planning on making a career out of the military. I figured since I didn't need the money, I would help someone who could use it. Now, I'm not so rich." It felt strange to talk about his past and personal life with his men. At the same time, it was nice having a normal conversation with friends. A conversation having nothing to do with the war.

"Sure you are, Colonel. You have friends and friends are more valuable than gold," said Kinch with a smile.

"Did the two of you meet when the gov'nor was assigned to your unit, General?" asked LeBeau.

"I met him at West Point. I had permission to lead my own unit and could hand pick who I wanted. Naturally I went back to the place responsible for making me the officer I am. I designed a couple ofdrills to let me see all aspects of a person's character. I saw a lot of potential in Hogan, but at the time, he wasn't much of a leader," said Lawrence.

"What do you mean I wasn't much of a leader," said Hogan offended. "You changed the rules of the game and only told the other side."

"Gee, General, that wasn't very nice. If you're going to change the rules, it's only fair to tell both sides," said Carter.

General Lawrence laughed. "You assume both sides play fair. As you've seen from being here, the other side doesn't play fair. That is what I wanted to teach the men. I wanted to see how the strategy would change to fit the situation. All plans must be flexible."

"I bet Colonel Hogan was able to quickly modify his plan to win," said LeBeau.

Hogan hung his head. "I lost." Hogan stared at Lawrence. He was taking this too far. He didn't want his weakness revealed to the men. What would they say if they knew their CO panicked when the rules changed and couldn't adapt his plan to the change?

The men sat in silence for a few minutes. Hogan stared into his cup of coffee. "I did win the next drill though." Hogan grinned at Lawrence.

"I don't think they need to hear that one," said Lawrence.

"Sure they do. All's fair in love and war." Hogan set he cup down as he stood.

"Hogan, I said no and that's an order," said Lawrence.

Hogan smirked. "So throw me in jail. It was an interesting drill. General Lawrence with many of the other brass set up a POW situation. General Lawrence was the commandant and the cadets were the POW's"

"Not much difference," said Carter.

"The object of the drill was to endure interrogation without revealing where the documents were hidden," said Hogan as he walked around.

"Gov'nor, are you sure this was a drill, this sounds like something that happened not to long ago," said Newkirk.

"Now mind you, they didn't get physically abusive. Just withheld food, water, sleep and played mind games. After the humiliation of losing the last drill, I was determined to win this one." Hogan smiled at Lawrence as the scene played in his head as if it were yesterday.

"You cheated. You didn't follow the rules," huffed Lawrence.

"So I used the lesson I learned in the previous drill to our advantage. We managed to escape from our cells and took over the camp. General, care to tell the men what we made the commandant and guards do?"

Lawrence folded his arms across his chest. "No."

"Talking about not playing fair," said Hogan a little disappointed, but not surprised. "I made him as well as the guards stand in a circle with their hands on the person in front's shoulders and do the bunny hop."

Everyone laughed hysterically except Lawrence. "You won't always be a prisoner here you know."

"I can't believe you got away with it," said Christopher.

"Who said I got a way with it." Everyone stopped laughing and stared at Hogan. "Believe me, I paid for it later." Hogan laughed. "But it was worth it."

1 Brainwashed by Nightstalker


	13. More Unanswered Questions

Chapter 13: More Unanswered Questions

Chapter 13: More Unanswered Questions

"Kinch, place a call to London about the pickup." Hogan didn't want Lawrence to leave, but he had a job to do. The Allies needed the information Fehler possessed to help end the war.

Kinch placed the call for a pickup that night. "Sir's, London is sending a plane tonight and they want the bridge in sector "G" blown tonight as well. Sources say there'll be munitions headed for the Eastern front crossing it early in the morning."

"How do they expect us to do all of this in one night?" asked Carter.

"It isn't like we haven't had more than one job to do before," said LeBeau.

"As much as I hate it, we'll have to split up. Newkirk and LeBeau will take the packages to the pick up. Kinch and Carter will blow the bridge. I don't want to take the chance on my leg giving out so I'll stay here. If something doesn't seem right, scrub the mission and get back here," ordered Hogan.

The men sat silently for a moment. Kinch glanced at his watch. "Newkirk, isn't today the day to clean Klink's office?"

"Um, yea." Newkirk headed toward the ladder.

"I thought…" Carter didn't get to finish the sentence. Newkirk grabbed Carter by the collar.

"Remember, Carter, we changed it to today," said Newkirk.

"Oui, Andrew. We changed it to today. Let's get it over with," said LeBeau.

"I'll make sure you're not disturbed by taking a long nap on my cot. I'll get you when it's time for roll call or time to eat." Kinch shooed the men upstairs.

HH HH HH

Newkirk leaned over Klink's desk, while he was dusting, to get a better look at the paperwork Klink was working on.

"Something I can help you with, Corporal?" asked Klink with a little irritation.

"No, Sir. I'm just dusting your desk off. This desk is really dusty, Sir," said Newkirk, dusting off the picture frames.

"I'll get out of your way. If you need me, I'm just outside the door." Klink laid his papers on the desk. He paused a moment at the door. "Do a through job." Then closed the door.

Newkirk smiled. "I like having Klink on our side now, but it has lost the challenge." Newkirk opened Klink's cigar box. "This ought to help the officers relax." He put a handful of cigars in his pocket.

Carter grabbed a bottle of Klink's schnapps. "Nothing like putting your feet up with a nice, smooth drink."

"And three crystal classes to put it in," said LeBeau.

Newkirk glanced at the paper Klink had been reading. "Check this out. It appears we are supposed to get a new prisoner tomorrow afternoon. It sounds like it might be another officer."

"Just what we need," said LeBeau.

HH HH HH

Hogan noticed Fehler had been quiet the entire time they were talking. He realized it could be because German military standards didn't permit fraternization with enlisted or because he didn't feel close enough to the men to join in. To help Fehler feel more comfortable, Lawrence and Hogan held their conversations in German. The men enjoyed their pilfered treats as they laughed and told stories about subjects everyone could talk about; women, irritating commanders and more women.

By the time Hogan appeared for evening roll call, all the schnapps and cigars were gone. He knew it was time to say his final farewells. When they were dismissed, Hogan and his men went to the tunnels to prepare for the pick up.

"I wish I could take you to the pick up," said Hogan as he walked Lawrence and Fehler to the exit. "I don't want to take any chances with my leg. Newkirk and LeBeau will make sure you get to the plane safely."

"I understand. How did you injure your leg any how? Was it when you were shot down?" asked Lawrence

Hogan shook his head. "A gunshot wound, I received a short time ago while on a mission, nicked the bone causing a small fracture. But that's a story for when we're together again."

"Be sure to look me up whenever you make it home. I'll continue to check in on your parents for you." Lawrence said, shaking Hogan's hand.

"Thanks, General," smiled Hogan. It was comforting to know, in his and Tom's absence; someone was looking out for his parents.

Fehler came to attention, giving Hogan a proper military salute. "Danke for your help, Herr Oberst."

Hogan returned the salute. "I'm the one thanking you. The information you have will help end the war sooner and save many lives." Hogan watch with mixed feelings as the men ascended the ladder. "Carter, have everything you need?"

"Yes, Colonel. It's not a very big bridge, so it won't take much. Then again, there wasn't much to spare. Is it really a good idea to blow the bridge tonight?" asked Carter.

"It could play to our advantage. Try to blow it before the plane is due to arrive. This way most of the patrols will be out of the pick up area," suggested Hogan.

"Good thinking. I would have never thought of that." Kinch pushed Carter up the ladder while he was still rambling.

"Don't worry, Colonel. Everything is under control." Kinch smiled, following Carter up the stairs.

"But it's part of my job description." Hogan walked back to the radio room to wait. Wilson was waiting on him.

"I was hoping you weren't going out," commented Wilson.

Hogan laughed. "I know better. No going out unless absolutely necessary until you give me the okay."

Wilson gaped at Hogan in shock. "I should have suggested the Gestapo take you to Berlin sooner. They've made you more cooperative. I like the change. Are you going to let me change your bandage or are you going to give me a fight?"

HH HH HH

Kinch and Carter crept toward the bridge. All was quiet. Too quiet to put the men at ease. They didn't hear any night creatures. This told them, someone, besides them had been there to scare the animals away. The question was, are they still here?

Kinch motioned for Carter to scout the area to the right while he looked left. If a patrol was spotted, they were to signal the other using an animal call.

As Carter neared the river, he heard German voices. He paused when he heard them approach his location. He quickly looked around for a place to hide. Not far from him, he spied a downed tree. He laid next to the tree, pressing his body as close to the trunk as he could. To his luck, one of the men on patrol sat on the tree. Carter held his breath, silently willing him to leave.

HH HH HH

Kinch made his way to the left not running into anyone. He was at the edge of the river, staring at the bridge. Everything was still quiet. Kinch glanced at his watch. They had been separated for five minutes now. The plane should arrive in twenty-five minutes.

HH HH HH

Carter rolled his eyes when the soldier lit a cigarette. A sharp pain developed in his side. He quietly moved his hand under him to find he was lying on a rock. Carter was going to leave it when an idea came to him. As hard as he could, he threw the rock away from his position.

The plan worked. The soldier quickly headed in the direction of the rock. Carter gave a big sigh. He looked around and strained his ears for anyone else. When he felt it was safe, he gave the call of a bullfrog.

HH HH HH

In the distance, Kinch heard a bullfrog. He hooted in response. He waited for the call again signaling it was okay to proceed. It finally came. He made his way to the bridge where Carter was waiting on him.

"Did you run into trouble," Kinch whispered.

Carter held up his hand with his fingers apart about an inch. "A little."

The men quickly placed the explosives. Carter had finished securing the detonator to the last explosive and started to leave. Kinch tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you forgetting something?"

Carter looked where Kinch was pointing. He had forgotten to set the timer. "Oops. It would be kind of hard for the explosives to go off without the timer being set."

"Stop talking and set it so we can get out of here," scolded Kinch.

HH HH HH

The four men moved swift and silently through the woods. It would be a shame to get caught now after how far they'd come. The men hid in some bushes on the outskirts of the clearing. Newkirk looked at his watch. The plane should be there soon.

They held their breath as they heard footsteps, crunching leaves on the forest floor. Fehler looked at Newkirk with fear in his eyes. He knew all to well what would happen to him if he was caught with the papers.

Lawrence sensed his fear. He put his hand on his shoulder for comfort. They were well hidden. It would take something major for the patrol to find them. That something was about to happen. LeBeau started to sniffle.

LeBeau held his nose and tried not to sneeze. Tears were streaming from his eyes, trying to fight the urge to sneeze. He could not hold the sneeze in any longer. Just as LeBeau sneezed, the bridge blew.

Immediately, the patrol headed toward the bridge. Fehler breathed a sigh of relief. Newkirk looked up when he heard plane engines. He flashed the signal with a flashlight, "Be ready. You won't have much time once the plane lands, in case the patrol decides to come back this way."

"We understand," said Lawrence. "Thanks again for everything."

"Just doing our job, Sir," answered Newkirk.

"Do me a favor. Give Hogan a hard time for me. Someone has to keep him on his toes," said Lawrence.

Newkirk grinned. "Already do, Sir." Newkirk watched the plane land. "Better get going."

Lawrence and Fehler entered the plane. Before the door closed, Lawrence said to Newkirk, "A pleasure working with you."

Newkirk nodded in agreement as he and LeBeau waved them off.

HH HH HH

Everything went satisfactory with the pickup and blowing up the bridge. The papers Fehler found were on their way to London. A radio message came in during the night from the underground. They had some information for Papa Bear. Hogan made arrangements for someone to stop at the work detail he had to arrange with Klink.

"Come in," Klink yelled.

"Good morning, Kommandant. Beautiful day isn't it?" said Hogan.

Klink stared at Hogan. Hogan's attitude screamed he was up to some monkey business. "What is it now, Hogan? Don't you have anything better to do than to bother me?"

"With Wilson's restriction's, I'm not able to do much." Hogan hid his smile as Klink rolled his eyes. "Sir, the men were wondering when we were going to get our next shipment of Red Cross packages?"

Hogan already knew the Red Cross packages were late because of a bombing raid a few nights ago. Since only a few people traveled that road, and the Nazis didn't view the prisoners receiving the Red Cross packages as important, they didn't see any reason for them to fix it. Hogan decided to use it to their advantage.

"I'm being pfenniged to death by Berlin and all you can worry about are Red Cross packages?" asked Klink.

"Sorry, Kommandant. I sometimes forget Berlin runs this camp and not the Iron Colonel." Hogan painted his picture for Klink. "It's just the prisoners don't have much. We noticed the meals in the mess hall are slimmer. The men are so hungry they're fighting each other over crumbs. I heard one man was so desperate he tried to sneak into the dog pen for their food. The men deserve what belongs to them. We have to supplement our lack of food somehow."

"To be truthful, you can thank the Allies for the delay in your Red Cross Packages. Thanks to their bombing raids, the road is impassible." Klink snapped his fingers. "That gives me an idea. Since the Allies destroyed the road, it's only fair the Allies fix it."

"Kommandant, according to the Geneva Convention, you cannot force prisoners to work," reminded Hogan.

"What do you want, Hogan?" asked Klink.

"It would be nice to have an extra hot shower a week," suggested Hogan.

"Only for a month," amended Klink.

Hogan smiled. "You have a work detail. When do you want them ready, Sir?"

"Schultz is passing out mail right now. Have them ready in an hour," said Klink

Before anything else was said, Hochstetter barged into the room. "Good, just the man I want to talk to. Saboteurs blew up a bridge last night. What do you know about it, Hogan?"

"I know as much about it as I know about everything else you come here to ask me about," said Hogan.

"Major, I can confirm, Hogan was in his barrack all night. Sergeant Shultz and I do a surprise bed check every night. When we checked Barracks 2, Hogan was sleeping in his bed," Klink lied.

Hochstetter glared at Klink. "Problem is who will vouch for you? I doubt you did the bed check and you are only covering for Hogan to protect your own neck. If I find out you are lying to me, I will make sure you have a long painful experience to help you think things over."

Hogan tried to remain calm. Yes, he was in camp all night, but now he would see how strong Klink's backbone was.

"Major, I have nothing to lie to you about. My unblemished escape record speaks for itself. I have these checks and the prisoners know it. They just don't know when. If anyone tries to escape, they will be caught immediately," said Klink.

Hogan was impressed. _So far, so good_.

Hochstetter stood toe to toe with Hogan. "I will catch these saboteurs. When I do, I'll make them talk. And when they talk, you'll be mine for good." Hochstetter stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

There was a moment of silence between Hogan and Klink. Hogan sighed. "Thanks, Kommandant." Hogan came to attention, properly saluting Klink.

Klink smiled, returning the salute. "Remember, have your men ready in one hour. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir," said Hogan, exiting the office.

Hogan entered the barracks in time to see Kinch jump up and down and scream with joy. "They got them! They got them!" Kinch ran up to Hogan. "They got custody. Thank you, Sir. Woo Hoo!"

Newkirk looked up from his letter "What did they get? A sack of money?"

Kinch shook his head. "No, something better."

Newkirk looked confused as well as the others listening. "Mate, what could be better than a sack of money?"

A broad smile appeared on Kinch's face as he said, "They gave some children a home."

Hogan thought back to when Kinch asked him if there was any way he could pull some strings to help Kinch's parents adopt his cousins. Helping others always put a smile on his face.

Before he forgot, he decided to break the news to the men about fixing the road. "By the way, Klink agreed to let us fix the road. We leave in an hour." Hogan held his hands up to stop the grumbling. "Klink has a good point. Since the Allies are the ones who destroyed it, it is only right the Allies fix it."

"Here you go, Colonel," Christopher said, handing Hogan a letter. "Schultz left this for you."

Hogan stared at the envelope. It was a letter from his mom. The letter couldn't have come at a better time. "Thanks. Christopher, I've been meaning to ask you something about the quilt you made. When you received the material, did you put their initials on it right away?"

"Yes, Colonel. Why you ask?" inquired Christopher.

Hogan paced, thinking. He hated unsolved problems. "Did you sew the pieces together right away or wait until you had them all first?"

Christopher stared at Hogan. "I put them in a pile until I got all the pieces. I laid them out first to make sure they all fit right. Why are you asking? Is there something wrong with it?"

"Maybe it is because of the stress of everything, but who gave you the black material with the initials WAH?" asked Hogan

Christopher thought a moment. "I remember sewing the scrap on the quilt, but I don't remember who gave it to me."

"Could it have been William Hart in Barracks 7?" asked LeBeau

"No, his middle name is Bernard," answered Newkirk.

Kinch pulled out the list of who is stationed at Stalag 13. "Hampshire, Walter P. Hooper, Willie, D. Hoot, Wallis C." Kinch paused "Walter Hurst has no middle name listed."

"But why the black material?" asked Hogan confused.

"Sorry, I'm not able to help, Colonel. I honestly don't remember," said Christopher.

Hogan shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I was thinking of everyone's name as I came across their scrap and couldn't think of who it belonged to." Hogan headed to his room to read the letter from his mom, when Knox stopped him.

Knox handed him a stack of papers. The first page in the stack said 'The Imposter'. "I hope you like it, Sir."

Hogan smiled as he read the first page. "I'm sure I will." He decided to head to the tunnels for some peaceful reading.

He sat on a cot with his back against the wall and his legs stretched in front of him. He opened the letter from his mom and started reading.

_Dearest Son, 20 October 1944_

_All is well here. Your dad and I chaperoned the high school fall festival. It reminded me of the time we chaperoned you and your brother's fall festival. I will never forget the site when I opened the closet door to get a mop to clean some spilled punch. You were lucky I found you in there and not her dad._

_Your brother on the other hand wasn't so lucky when your eighth grade teacher found him under the stage with her daughter. I don't know if I was more mad at him for what he did or the month full of Saturdays he had to spend in detention._

_The lady on the corner, who plants Pansies in her yard every year, fell on some wet leaves and broke her hip. Doctor said she would be in bed for some time. Some of the ladies on the block are taking turns making meals for her. _

_I saw the red headed kid you use to get into fights with the other day. He was severely injured and sent home. Even though he's in a wheel chair now, he's helping at his parent's store. Sad to say, but his loss did him some good. He is a much nicer person now. He's going to marry his girlfriend in a couple of months. His fiancé has asked your sister to play the piano in the wedding. I have to get started on making her dress._

_Your friend stopped by last Sunday after he visited the cemetery. He's such a nice man. He tries to spend at least one Sunday a month at our house. He said it was the least he could. He said he is so grateful for what you did for his family; he doesn't know how he will ever repay you._

_I know I must be boring you with all of this. I have to be going. I have so much to do. I wish you and your brother were here to have some fresh apple pie I just took out of the oven. We went to the apple orchard last week. We brought home 3 bushels of apples! I think I'm going to enter one of my apple pies in the county fair. Your dad wants to use some of the apples to make his special drink. I reminded him what happened the last time. He said he would be more careful. Tell that to the cat that got into some of his special drink. I don't think its fur will ever grow back_

_I'm going to end now. Take care and God bless. I pray every night He keeps you safe and will bring you home soon._

_Lots of Love_

_Mom, Dad and Sis_

A tear rolled down Hogan's cheek, landing on the letter. "I love you to Mom and Dad." He pulled his knees to his chest and wept. Most people might find the information in the letter boring, but he enjoyed reading every word.

Before he was shipped out, he told his mom to not put any names in any of the letters and for her name it was to be mom or Mrs. Hogan. He didn't want the Nazis to find anything in the letters they could use against him.

Hogan looked at the calendar. Just over a week left till Thanksgiving He longed to be home with is brother, Tom and sister, Lisa. He could picture them all sitting around the kitchen table at Thanksgiving, eating the fresh apple pie with fresh homemade ice cream. He could be home right now. London had given him the chance to go home and he turned it down. He turned it down so others may go home to be with their families.

He could see the German forces weakening. The Allies were pushing further toward Germany and the Russians were close as well. It was only a matter of time. All he had to do was be patient.

His mind drifted to Kewpie and Hochstetter's words. It didn't make any since for Hochstetter to show concern for Hogan. Why did he say the same words Kewpie did? Why would he tell Hogan to mind his leg?

Hogan had noticed his most recent encounter with Hochstetter was different. He seemed to show restraint. Through the haze of his mind in the barn, he remembered how Hochstetter didn't want to punish him for speaking his mind.

His mind thought about his quilt. Hogan jerked his head up as a thought occurred to him. Hochstetter's uniform was black. His name was Wolfgang Hochstetter. Hogan quickly went to the records they kept on local Nazis. He found Hochstetter's folder. He skimmed through the pages looking for any notation of a middle name or initial.

As Hogan searched, his heart raced. Could his tormenter have somehow found his way into the tunnels? If so, why did he not arrest them as spies or shoot everyone?

Nothing. No mention of a middle name or initial. Hogan dropped the folder as he sat on the floor. His body started to shake with fear. _Fight! Fight for all you're worth. _The words he had heard in Berlin came to his mind. He recognized the voice saying them as Kewpies. Was it another coincidence between Hochstetter and Kewpie? Could Hogan's initial thoughts about Hochstetter being a double agent be correct?

It didn't make since. If Hochstetter were on their side, why would he try so hard to prove he was Papa Bear? If he was on the other side, why did he not arrest them? Why would Hochstetter leave obvious clues pointing to him?

Hogan drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Did Hochstetter just want to play games with Hogan, trying to weaken his defenses? Hogan had more questions than answers. The big unanswered question now was what does he do with this information? Did he close up shop or confront Hochstetter? Maybe Hochstetter wanted Hogan to close up shop. Maybe that is when Hochstetter plans on arresting them.

Hogan could feel his blood start to boil. _If Hochstetter is really on my side, how could he torture me like he did? If we make it through this war alive, I promise Hochstetter, Ally or Nazi, you will get everything you deserve. _

"Colonel!" LeBeau yelled down the ladder. "It's time for us to fix the road."

"Be up in a minute." Hogan calmed his emotions. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his men if he didn't have to. He put the folder away along with the letter and the story Knox wrote. He took a deep breath. "Back to business as usual."

A/N: Most of the conversation between Hogan and his men while they were reading their mail, refers back to Brainwashed by Nitestalker. Thanks for reading and reviewing. The story doesn't end here. Be on the look out for the last story in the series Guardian Angel.


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